


A Song of Water and Fire

by N8schatten, Whovian_Overload



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender, Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms
Genre: AU, Angst, Enemies to Lovers, Everything Honestly, Fluff, I promise it's actually a good fic, Multi, Other, Slow Burn, Young!River, also there are like a billion other dw characters woven in i just didn't want to tag them all, avatar!River, okay this is NOT a crossover it's just dw characters, young!Eleven
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-29
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:13:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 24
Words: 89,644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26717287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/N8schatten/pseuds/N8schatten, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Whovian_Overload/pseuds/Whovian_Overload
Summary: Everyone has moments in their lives—big life-changing moments that shift reality and turn everything upside down. If one was lucky, it could be dealt with privately and quietly. River Song was not lucky on the day she found out she was the Avatar.The Avatar!River AU that we simply Cannot Stop. Also with fanart because I'm a big nerd!
Relationships: Eleventh Doctor/River Song, The Doctor/River Song
Comments: 42
Kudos: 25





	1. Water and Fire

**Author's Note:**

> Raven and I are very excited to share this with you! Weekly updates for you dear readers. You'll find many differences and overlaps between the ALTA cannon and the fic here. Mostly, the spirits work a little differently. You don't have to have watched ALTA to understand this. Please leave a comment even if it's just key smashing, we appreciate all feedback and reactions :) happy reading!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone has moments in their lives—big life-changing moments that shift reality and turn everything upside down. If one was lucky, it could be dealt with privately and quietly. River Song was not lucky on the day she found out she was the Avatar. 

**Chapter One: Water and Fire**

Everyone has moments in their lives—big life-changing moments that shift reality and turn everything upside down. If one was lucky, it could be dealt with privately and quietly. River Song was not lucky on the day she found out she was the Avatar. 

Her parents had sat her down in the late evening, just after school and work. River had been tired—another run-in with the other girls from her school. They always found something about her to criticize (today had been her hair). 

When her parents had sat her down with forced smiles and a look in their eyes, River knew something was wrong. The only other time her parents had that look was when River’s teacher told them to sign her up for the army last year. _Such a talented young woman, though she can be a bit… fierce. Discipline and a competitive outlet will be perfect for her, don’t you agree?_

River was sure that is what they were going to tell her; that they indeed had signed her up for the military to help the Fire Nation reach its destiny. She tried to push down confusion and panic. Something inside her had twisted and she almost felt nauseous.

“There is something we need to tell you,” her father had said and his tone was like a knife to the gut. 

River looked between them, waiting and biting her lip. Her mother didn’t say a word and River just knew whatever she was about to hear was bad news. 

“Remember how we told you, you were born in the earth kingdom?” 

River blinked and nodded after a moment. It wasn’t what she was expecting to hear. “Yeah, near the border to the Southern Water Tribe.” 

Her mother had looked at her, with a weak smile. She put her hand on River’s shoulder. “We adopted you on that day. You were only a week old, but your birth parents weren’t able to take care of you.” Whatever reassurance her mother was trying to provide wasn’t working because her lip was quivering and that _look_ was only growing more intense. Was it worry? Fear? “They loved you, River,” she continued, “More than anything. But they were poor, so to save your life they gave you away.” 

River had just blinked at them, trying to understand or at least to say something. She wasn’t angry, not really. She understood. Kind of… And if anything she was relieved none of this was about the army thing. “...Is that why I’m called River Song? Did they name me that?” 

“No sweetie,” her mother had said after a moment of exchanging glances with her father. “We did. We met by the River of Songs. They begged for our help and explained their situation...” 

Her father’s face dawned an expression so soft she thought it might melt off of his head. “They were both crying, especially your mother,” he murmured, “She was saying how sorry she was and that she…” Her father stopped and cleared his throat. 

River nodded and forced a smile. She was feeling a little bit like something had tripped her off balance and she couldn’t quite find a way to get back up. “Ok” she said flatly. “...I’ll see after the eelhounds, before I go to bed.” 

“River?” Her mother sounded so afraid. River had turned and seen the tears on her mother's cheeks. “We love you.” 

“Love you too” She had said and left the house without anything else.

River stayed in the hound stables until long after sunset. It was her duty to look after the eelhounds and she enjoyed it well enough. The hounds didn’t like her parents much, but then again, her parents never brushed them or pet them or showed them much acknowledgment. River gave all six eelhounds special treatment, especially one of the younger ones, Cal. Cal had been born about five years ago and her father had gifted it to her as her own. 

Cal’s stable was the place River always ended up when she was emotional, which was more often than not this school year. Most of the time, River’s mother would find her and make some attempt to cheer her up. Not today though. And that made the weight of all this new information much heavier. 

When River finally left the stables it was late and every light of the house was out. It was peaceful in the courtyard and the full moon cast a soft light over the stone path. River had stared at this yard from her room when she was younger, always admiring the little fountain in the middle.

She sat on the edge of the water, trying to let the tension of the day leave her but it was clinging with impressive strength. 

So she wasn’t from here after all, River thought. Her parents had been from the Southern Water Tribe. Maybe that’s why school had always made an outcast of her. It was like Fire Nation children could sense people who didn’t belong. But where did she belong? 

There was nothing taught about the Water Tribe in school except for a few things on bending. According to her teachers, the full moon did something with the minds of the Water Tribesman or maybe their chi? Whatever it was, it made their bending stronger than any other time.

River looked up at the full moon. Were her other parents even benders? She didn’t know. She’d never seen water bending outside her textbooks. How did any of that work? All River knew was fire bending (and she was really quite good at it.) Without thinking, River stood facing the fountain. Her movements were awkward and felt wrong—probably because she was trying to waterbend with a firebending technique. 

But the water moved. It wasn’t just a little ripple, either. Part of the water rose up into the air quivering and struggling against gravity. 

River made something of a squeak in the back of her throat and in the next moment the water was plummeting back into the pool with a loud splash. She stared at the pool of water and back at her hands and back at the pool.

Her body started moving on it’s own, pulling towards this uncovered skill like it was something that had been missing from her life. One of her hands hovered just above the water. She made a back and forth movement, like waves pushing and pulling, and slowly lifted her hand. The water underneath her hand followed up. 

River felt the grin splitting her face and something inside her felt like coming home. It was different from firebending completely, but both felt right and good. Comfortable, even. Firebending felt like her father’s fiercely proud look when she mastered new skills. Waterbending was more like her mother carefully brushing her hair with a comb just after washing it. 

The thought crossed her mind and River stared at her hand. She was a firebender. She grew up one of the best benders of her village, but right now she was waterbending. Was there a possibility that bending could change? Maybe she wasn’t able to bend fire any longer? River turned her other hand and a little flame appeared in her palm. River stared at the flame hovering about her hand and then at the other hand holding a small column of water up. She was bending two elements. She was…

”Fuck,” River breathed. 

There was a sound of metal falling and crashing onto the earth and River turned to face the fence. The water fell back into the pool with a splash and the flame died with a hiss. “Hello?” River asked into the silence and then somebody was running. 

She got a glimpse of her neighbor Renefew Greystark, running back inside and a stone settled heavily inside her stomach. He was an older, odd looking man who owned one of the houses surrounding the communal courtyard. He was always muttering to himself and looking over his shoulder as if someone was talking to him, though no one ever was. 

River didn’t sleep much that night. 

-x-

_Hushed voices filled the room, as the tension rose. The man on the opposite side of the table, who was facing his father shrunk with every second. “As I said.” The voice of his father, Fire Lord Rassilon, was cold and angry, but not the burning anger that John was used to receiving. It was a calm anger, and that was even more dangerous._

_“Even if it’s just rumors, we can NOT take chances.”_

_Something in his stomach knotted and for a moment John looked at his aunt sitting next to him. Her head was bound and her hands balled into fists. John had seen this posture often enough around his sister to know that Aunt Idris wasn’t agreeing with his father, but John simply didn’t understand why._

_“I will not take chances of a new Avatar,” the Fire Lord continued. “I will not let hope bloom in the hearts of those traitorous people who refused our help. I will not let the same thing happen that happened eighteen years ago. The Avatar is a danger for our people, we have to kill them.”_

_John's stomach turned into ice and he felt like somebody had punched him. Killing the Avatar? Because they could be a danger? That wasn’t right. Why couldn’t they talk to the Avatar?_

_“Do we know who the Avatar is?” His father asked and John's head shot up, to look at the men around the table._

_“No, my Lord. We’ve only got the town and the message about the reappearance of the Avatar.”_

_“Mhm...”_

_For a long moment, there was nothing but tension and silence._

_Then one of the men further down the table spoke up. “We don’t know who the Avatar is, but we know where they are?”_

_There was a murmur of affirmation around the table and John noticed who his aunt's hand turned white from her grip._

_“We should burn it.”_

John woke with a start and a wheeze that burned his lungs. His chest burned and he knew, without looking that the wound there was probably open again. 

In the next second the door to his room opened and Aunt Idris stormed in. Her eyes were wild and filled with fear, but once she saw him, every bit of tension left her frame. “John,” It was nothing more than a breath and suddenly Idris looked so much more fragile. “Let me see the wound,” his aunt whispered and John shrugged out of his tunic without thinking. 

It had not been more than two weeks since this faithful night and the Agni Kai, so the wound in his chest was still raw and opened easily. As he had feared the sudden movement had opened the more delicate parts of the wound. 

“Lay down,” his aunt whispered as she got to her feet, to get her healing supplies. “I’ll be back in a few moments. 

John did what he was asked for and laid back, closing his eyes and tried very hard not to think about the burn on his chest, shaped so strangely like a heart. A burn that was currently bleeding. 

His aunt had said the shape was fitting, because John always cared too much for his single heart. Now he had two. One on each side of his chest. A heart on the outside for everyone to see and open to everyone. The other heart inside his chest for those he held especially close.

John didn’t share the same acceptance towards his second “heart”. He could hardly even stand having one with how much it ached to return home. 

-x-

In the coming days, people started staring a lot more than they usually did. Even River’s parents were watching her with an anxious expression.

It was three days after her discovery, long after dark, when her father came into the house with a list in hand. He looked at River with that face that said _you have a lot of overdue chores, young lady._ “I’m sorry, but you’ll have to go and fetch the eelhound food now. We’re completely out and they’ll be a fuss if they don’t get breakfast.” 

River groaned. “Father! You know that the old merchant never gets up before sunrise. I’ll be gone all night trying to get it!” 

She was on the road half an hour later with Cal. 

As River feared, the merchant selling the eelhound refused to wake or pay her any attention. It wasn’t until sunrise that she managed to buy what she needed. The man had raised prices again, so there was even less food than usual. It wasn't so little that Cal would have problems, but at this rate they might have to sell one of the hounds like they had to do last year.

River’s stomach sank as she headed home. Surely they wouldn’t give up Cal. No, Mother knew how River felt about her hound. Still, there was an uneasy feeling in her gut. 

It was when she turned round the bend of the hill that River spotted something that made her blood run cold. Smoke was rising from the direction of her town—not the airy thin kind from campfires. This smoke was black and thick, rising into the sky in pillars that darkened the sun. 

River urged Cal into a gallop. The smell was overwhelming by the time River had crossed through the forest. Before her, her village was irreversibly sentenced to the demise of fire. There were new and nauseating smells River didn’t understand— the smell of burning bodies and home. 

Cal was tossed her head back and forth, refusing to step any closer. River needed pure force to get her eelhound to calm. 

“Come on, Cal. I need to find Father.”

Cal still refused to move, pawing the ground

River sighed and slid from Cals back before she could think about it. “Stay girl.” 

Something cold settled in her stomach and a shiver traveled down her back as she stepped away from Cal. The journey from the edge of the forest to what once was her village felt like a lifetime, though was not too far. River still couldn’t really breathe or think for that matter. It just made no sense. Why …how could her village burn down? There were some really good firebenders and it wasn’t like they could stop a fire before it could do any damage. 

River stopped just before the line of black that used to mark the down line. Her eyes burned into soil and for a moment she thought about how surreal it looked. Deep, hot black right next to lively, fresh green. It looked so wrong and why wasn’t there anyone? 

She could see from where she stood that parts of her village were still burning. The old bakery and the shop of the woodcarver had collapsed completely and were blinding with flames. Other parts, the school and most of the houses, were nothing more than smoking ruins. 

Something cracked to her left and River’s head snapped in the direction of the sound.   
Almost automatically she raised her hands a small flame licking at her knuckles, but all she saw was a large canine body, half-covered in black. 

“Moon!” 

Her mother’s eelhound took a few more steps out of the rubble then laid down on the ground, half of her body behind the black line, half of it in the green grass. 

“Moon...” River whispered as she threw herself to the ground next to the old eelhound. Its eyes were open, but they didn’t see anything. Moon was severely burned and there was no way that a twenty-five years old eelhound would survive something like this, but River had hoped that maybe, just maybe she could help. Waterbenders could heal, right? 

“I’m sorry, Moon...” River whispered, her voice breaking. She could hear Cal’s whimpering far away back by the treeline, but River was sure her friend knew what had happened. 

River wasn’t even sure how she noticed the body. It lay in the higher grass, half concealed and really she shouldn’t even have seen it, but she did. She wiped her cheeks and approached it until she could recognize it. 

Renefew. 

He wasn’t burned, but his face was locked in an expression of pure horror and betrayal. He looked younger, somehow. Not like the old confused man that had lived next to her, but more like the man she knew from her childhood. River stared down at the man in the grass and she stared at his bloody tunic. Her back was warm from the fire of her village behind her, still, something inside her was frozen. 

Renefew had been killed by a blade, not bending. 

River turned her head and stared at the burning village that had been her home. Burned, broken, and destroyed, nothing more than ashes and coal. Her breathing fastened and her throat closed up. River could see the flames, and though it was empty now, she could hear the screams.

Her father had looked so worried the night before. His smile is not really sincere. Her mother's twitchiness. The people staring. River hadn’t told anyone of her new power yet. She had thought she was being paranoid.

Renefew had seen her waterbend during the full moon night. He had seen her water _and_ fire bend during that full moon night. 

He had told someone and that someone hadn’t he? That’s why the village knew.

Renefew had seen her and now everyone was dead. Her parents, the old lady who always had some fire flakes for her. The bakery she had worked in. Her classmates. _Her parents_ . All of them died because she was the Avatar, because River, _the Avatar_ , hadn’t been there to protect them. 

Everything was gone. All the memories she had. Her home and family. River was alone and all that because she was the Avatar. 

This was her fault.

River turned and ran towards Cal. Cal met her half the way and River didn’t waste any time getting into the saddle. 

“Go,” she whispered. “Run, RUN, _RUN!”_ and Cal, her good girl, her clever girl turned away from the village that wasn’t any longer and ran. 

_Her fault_

She didn’t have enough money to buy a boat big enough for her and Cal, not after she had bought food for herself and some warmer clothes. So she did what she had to do and stole a boat once it was dark. 

Now with Cal curled around her, sitting in a nutshell of a boat, the heat of the burning village vanished for the first time. It left her cold and empty, but somehow it felt like she needed it. The cold was welcome and it matched the feeling inside her. 

River stood in the little boat and turned away from the coast. There was nothing left there for her, all she had was lost. River turned and tried to concentrate on the moon in her back. She concentrated on the moon and the water around her and pushed. The boat skipped over the water faster than it would have by wind. 

River was bending the water to her will, but she couldn’t be happy about it any longer. She had bent water and it had been the reason why she had lost everything. River pushed again and Cal raised her head, looking at her, with big sad eyes and River cried. 

Water had been the reason she had lost everything she knew, but fire had taken it from her.


	2. The Southern Water Tribe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After fleeing the ruins of her village, River had floated in the ocean for days. It wasn’t on purpose exactly, she just didn’t know where to go. Her own nation considered her an enemy just because of her bending and most Earth colonies that hadn’t been reached by the Fire Nation would not take kindly to a fire bender like her. 
> 
> So she drifted.
> 
> She spent days staring at the sky as vast as the sea and remembering fire and death. There were no distractions out in the ocean and even Cal was catatonic after the events. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> @rs server i know most of you don't like clara but stick with us, I promise she won't be here for ever

**Chapter Two: The Southern Water Tribe**

The children thought her name was the most hilarious thing since otter-penguin farts. Well, it wasn’t her fault that ‘River’ was so…  _ watery _ . And how was she supposed to know she could bend water anyways? Her parents certainly hadn’t. 

“I’m named after a place,” she sighed for the third time that day. “Really, it’s a real place in the Fire Nation. It’s got a plaque and its historical and—”

“They’re just teasing you,” Clara said before she got too worked up.

“I can see that,” River hissed. “Don’t they have anything better to do?”

“No.”

“Fair enough.”

The Southern Tribe was incredibly smaller than River had ever imagined. Even the smallest towns in the Fire Nation were at least double the size. Clara had explained before about the Fire Nation raids, but it only made River’s stomach turn. 

“I still don’t get it,” River frowned as she watched Clara show her how to do a basic water sphere. “How are you the only one here who can waterbend? People aren’t just… I don’t know, born waterbenders?”

Clara shrugged. “There just aren’t. Granny says the spirits have abandoned us or something and stopped blessing our people.”

“Do you believe that?”

“Dunno. Maybe. I’ve never seen a spirit before. Have you?”

“Um…” River hesitated, not sure how to answer. “I don’t know.”

“Keep your arms wider apart.”

River took a breath and focused on the ball of water coming slowly out of the surrounding icy sea. It wobbled, stabilized, then wobbled some more. Finally, it wobbled too much and exploded into the snow. 

River growled and in her frustration shot a fireball into the air where she’d been trying to waterbend. “Why is this hard?!” 

The children who had been watching them practice ran for cover.

Clara had told her not to firebend so much since it scared everyone, but it was all River knew how to do if you didn’t count caring for eelhounds as a valuable skill. 

Cal was a few paces away, letting the children slide down her long tail into piles of snow. She got on well with them despite only having been here for a week or so. The days were hard to keep track of.

After fleeing the ruins of her village, River had floated in the ocean for days. It wasn’t on purpose exactly, she just didn’t know where to go. Her own nation considered her an enemy just because of her bending and most Earth colonies that hadn’t been reached by the Fire Nation would not take kindly to a fire bender like her. 

So she drifted.

She spent days staring at the sky as vast as the sea and remembering fire and death. There were no distractions out in the ocean and even Cal was catatonic after the events. 

The only escape was sleep, but her dreams were so strange. She dreamt of water and fire. She dreamt of black and white koi fish swimming through the streets of her village and making the houses disappear like smoke. She dreamt of the moon and the tides and ice and snow. Sometimes, an old man with tired eyes sat in her dreams and stared for hours. On occasion, she thought she saw him when she woke, but it must have been a trick of the light.

“I’m not really sure what spirits look like,” River thought out loud. “I mean, the moon is a spirit, right? So it just looks like the moon.”

Clara shrugged. “Granny said that the moon spirit can take lots of forms if it’s trying to talk to you. Polar Bear dogs, fish, sometimes humans.”

River was silent at that. The Fire Nation didn’t teach about many spirits. “Your Granny sounds educated.”

“She has some books but she doesn’t let anyone read them.”

“Why don’t you just steal them and read them?”

“I can’t read very well.”

“What?” River looked confused, then glanced around. “Oh.” The buildings here were made of ice and seal skins. She hadn’t seen any evidence of writing besides the inscriptions on some stolen weapons. The people of the Southern Water Tribe weren’t concerned with it as much as they were concerned with surviving. Time here was spent hunting, cooking, and caring for the little ones. If you had time to do things like learn to read then you might as well spend it tending to the livestock. 

“Well,” River started, “I can read. Maybe I can teach you.”

“Teach me?” Clara looked surprised. 

“Well it’s not like I have any money, so it’s the least I could do to repay you for teaching me waterbending.”

“I’m not sure I would call this waterbending,” Clara laughed weakly, letting her water sphere drop back into the sea. “I’m really no good at this. Both of us could use a real master.”

“You’re better than I am,” River muttered. “Where would we find a master?”

“On the other side of the world,” Clara sighed. She sat down, laying back against the snowy ground. “The Northern Water Tribe is the best bet for one. I don’t know of any water benders who live anywhere else. The mainland doesn’t exactly have a lot of lakes to work with— or so I’m told.”

River laid down next to Clara staring at the empty blue sky. She could use a break from practicing anyways. “Clara, will you tell me more about the spirits?”

“You’re the Avatar, aren’t you supposed to know these things?”

“I was a boring girl in a Fire Nation Earth colony until, like, two weeks ago. They don’t exactly have Avatar school over there.”

Clara laughed. “You found out you were the Avatar and you just decided to come to the most remote place this side of the equator?”

River didn’t find this quite as funny, snow melting under her hands. She hadn’t said a word about her past since she arrived here. The only thing she shared was that she was an orphan and the Avatar. It didn’t exactly make people trust her, but at least they didn’t attack her for wearing Fire Nation clothes. 

Clara only took a liking to River because she was strange. Clara liked strange things and according to the elders of the tribe, Clara was a strange thing herself.

“I was running.” River said through clenched teeth.

Clara sat up. “Running from what?”

“My village. What was left of it…” River stared at the ground and started to explain slowly what had happened. It felt fresh and painful like an open wound exposing her heart to the harsh winds of the world.

**_-x-_ **

John stood on the deck of his ship, rubbing his slowly healing chest wound in a soothing manner. The pain wasn’t so sharp now that the scabs had solidified, but his skin felt stiff and tight. How could his own father think to raise a hand to him? How could his sister Missy stand there and watch? Advisors, townsfolk, and noble alike had watched the Fire Lord and burn his son, and what came of it? A cold unanimously agreed upon banishment. 

“John?” Idris put a hand on his shoulder. 

He looked over at her, some tension leaving his shoulders. He was incredibly lucky that his aunt came with him, though he didn’t understand how she should be so selfless. “Yes?”

“The crew is estimating our arrival in about five days, maybe six.”

“I suppose they’re not used to navigating icy waters.”

“No, I suppose not,” she echoed. “...John, you’ve been very quiet all week. You aren’t taking care of yourself.”

“Who said I’m not taking care of myself?” he frowned. 

Idris sighed and touched his cheek. “Your beard, for starters.”

He reached up, fingers ghosting over his chin which once had smooth and kept skin. The new hairs prickled slightly. “A prince keeps his face clean and kept.”

“You  _ are _ a prince.”

“I’m not.” He squeezed his eyes shut. “Not anymore.”

“John, I know what happened isn’t ideal but you’re still you,” Idris insisted. “You’re still kind and thoughtful and—”

“And worthless?”

“Banish the thought,” Idris frowned at him. “You are worth everything and it’s practically a crime to think otherwise.

“Not as bad a crime as defending voiceless citizens, apparently,” John sulked. “I’ve never spoken up like that before. But one wrong move, just one mistake, and here I am. Banished!” He said the last word like it stung his tongue, spitting it out harshly. Several sparks danced through the air as his breathing got harsher. “What kind of father does that. Was he just waiting for an excuse to get rid of me? Did he ever love me?”

Idris had her ideas but gave John no answer. “Lord Rassilon is… a complicated man,” she started. “And love it is a very complicated idea. My brother can often have strange ways of showing his affection.”  
“If this is what you call affection, then color me all better.”

“Don’t be like that, nephew,” Idris sighed. “You  _ are _ loved. By me, by your sister, and by your father.

“He called me a disgrace. He called Missy an only child. And he hurt me...” John’s voice cracked as he spoke. “You speak of family but it feels like I don’t have one at all. Not anymore. My mother is gone and my father considers me nothing. That can’t be love.”

Idris tried to refrain from speaking ill of the Fire Lord, though it was very tempting to do so. “You are strong, John,” she said softly. “And you’ll know what to do when you need to. It was your decision to look in the Southern Water Tribe, was it not? You’ll know where to go.”

“Where to go? Aunt Idris… I’m lost.”

**_-x-_ **

“Wait,” Clara said, staring at River with big eyes. “Your parents found you at the River of Songs?” 

River nodded, “I already told you that.” 

“Yeah, but you never mentioned that this river is beneath the Singing Towers!” Clara exclaimed and threw her arms in the air. 

River just looked at Clara, who had gotten to her feet and was pacing. 

“Ok, so you're born in the southern tribe, but your parents brought you to Darillium island to give you up for adoption?” 

“To sum it up, yes.” 

Clara stopped pacing, standing over River. Her face was dark and there was something River couldn’t identify. 

“Oh” Clara finally said and River frowned. 

“Oh?” River repeated and watched as Clara's face lit up. 

“Oh my god!” Clara surged forward and grabbed Rivers' wrist. She pulled her up and River was surprised by the strength the small brunette had. “Common, River!” Clara yelled and started to run back into town. 

People turned their heads and starred after them as they ran. Some of the kids laughed and joined them in their mad dash and for a moment It felt like River was part of the tribe. She laughed and winked at the kids, who fell behind quickly. 

Still, Clara continued running until she reached the central house of the village. “GRANNY!” Clara yelled and an old lady poked her head out of the entrance. Several other people did the same. 

“Clara, you don’t need to raise your voice,” the old woman scolded with a soft tone and a smile on her lips. She pulled the younger two into the house. “How can I help you, dear?” 

“Do you know where Augustus and Tabetha are?” Clara panted and River smirked. Really they hadn’t even run that long! 

Granny looked up at Clara, looking impressively tall for a woman so short. “Why would you want to know that? I thought you didn’t want to talk to them any longer.”

Clara just rolled her eyes. “That’s so not true, besides Tabetha said I’m…” Clara cut herself off and looked at her Grandmother with a pleading look, her eyes going even bigger. 

River watched fascinated because Clara’s eyes already had an impossible size. 

“Please Granny.” Somehow she sounded like a little girl. “Please, where are they?” 

Her grandmother finally signed in defeat and told them. In the next moment River and Clara were running again, Clara shouting, “Thank you!” over her shoulder. 

They continued running until even River was panting and they slowed down until they reached some smaller houses. Several people stopped their work at the outer wall, to turn and look at them. 

“Augustus?” Clara called and looked around. “Tabetha?” 

“By the moon, Clara, would you stop?” Said a woman stepping out of a small hut. Her hair was several shades lighter than River had seen on any other tribe member. A man stepped out of the home as well and River wondered how they both fit comfortably in there. He looked like a typical water tribe member, more so than the woman at least, aside from his hair that curled close around his head. 

“I’m sorry, but it’s really important,” Clara said and the woman rolled her eyes. 

“I heard you,” The woman said again and then turned to River. “We haven’t been introduced, I’m Tabetha and this is my husband Augustus. You are River right? The Avatar?” 

River smiled weakly and bowed slightly to the woman. 

“It’s an honor to meet you, Avatar,” Augustus said, laying one hand on River shoulder. River smiled as she realized that he had to stand on his tiptoes for the gesture. 

“No need for the formalities.” River shrugged.

“You both have been to Darillium once right?” Clara asked impatiently and River noticed how both of their faces fell. 

Tabetha almost looked like someone had punched her. Her nose scrunched and for a moment it looked wider than before. Almost familiar, but River couldn’t place why. Augustus on the other hand starred at the ground his hands opening and closing and his brows furrowed once more in an almost familiar way. 

“Not today Clara,” Augustus mumbled. 

“But—” 

“No, Clara,” Tabetha said, her voice hard. “Not today.” 

They turned away from their visitors but Clara wasn’t one to give in easily. “But I need to know if you’ve been by the River of Songs!” 

Tabetha kept walking, but Augustus stopped and closed his eyes. “Once…when we…” he signed and turned away again. 

Something clicked and River suddenly understood. Augustus curls and Tabetha's light hair. The familiar gestures, even though River couldn’t place them. Her own nose wrinkled like Tabetha’s when she scowled and her brows furrowed just like Augustus. 

“I was adopted there.” River blurted before she even thought about it. 

Augustus' head shot up, staring at her with huge eyes. Tabetha had stopped and so did everyone close enough to hear her words. 

“My parents said…my  _ birth _ parents couldn’t care for me, so they gave me away. So I could be safe and cared for.” 

Everyone was staring now. Tabetha had turned with big hopeful eyes and Augustus looked at every inch of River’s face. 

“Aren’t you fire nation?” one of the bystanders asked and River shrugged. 

“That's what I thought until, er...” she rubbed her arm. “My parents told me about a month ago that I was adopted.” 

Something bloomed in Augustus' face. “What was your birth name?” he asked and River couldn’t dare to look up instead she stared at the ice. 

“Didn’t have one,” she mumbled. “My birth parents didn’t give me one. My parents named me after the River of Songs because, well it meant something I suppose.” 

River could hear Tabetha's gasping and she dared a quick peek up. 

There were tears in the woman's eyes. Both she and Augustus had stepped closer and River gulped. 

“How old are you?” Tabetha asked and River bit her lip. 

“I just turned eighteen.”

A gentle hand cupped one of her cheeks and River looked up in shock. Both Tabetha and Augustus stood much closer. Both of them had tears in their eyes and they smiled weakly at her. 

“My dad had eyes like yours,” Tabetha whispered looking at River and smiling brighter. “He was one of the last air nomads. That’s why our skin is lighter than normal.” 

River just stared, while tears made her vision blurry. Another hand stroked over her hair and River turned her head to see Augustus playing with one of her curls. 

“My baby was born with such curls,” he said. His voice was raspy from the emotions, but there was a brilliant smile on his face. “Shorter of course.” He grinned at River for a moment, before he looked back at the curls between his fingers. “But blond and wild.” 

“You were not born a fire nation child...?” Tabetha asked and River shook her head. 

“No, my parents were from the Southern Water Tribe, I was told.” 

River blinked once more fighting the tears and then she was pulled into a hug. Tabetha’s short hair tickled her cheek and River could smell snow and something that made her feel warm and good. Augustus pressed against her side, holding both her and his wife. He smelled like Rivers' father. Like fire and hard work, but also of something that reminded her of books and knowledge and home.

“My baby,” Tabetha whispered. “My baby. My baby finally came home.” This time River didn’t stop the tears. She just hid her face in her mother's neck and enjoyed her dad’s embrace. 

_ Mother, Father _ . River closed her eyes and held them close, listening to her mother’s words. She had a family.


	3. Changing Tides

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The house in front of her was really quite small and probably couldn’t fit more than one person comfortably. 
> 
> Except River couldn’t see the house because there just so happened to be an eelhound wrapped around it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trying very hard to put in the artwork for this, so hopefully, that works?

**Chapter Three: Changing Tides**

It was quite the change of pace from camping outside the town walls to housing with her birth parents, but River wasn’t one to complain especially if it meant more hot meals to eat. Her newly found family had so many questions for her and so much love to give. It made her long for her home in the Earth Kingdom but that was all gone. Her parents, her town, her friends… River couldn’t stand to think about it for long. Instead, she tried to fill her mind with the new beginning she’d found.

In turn to their questions, River asked Tabetha and Agustus her own curiosities. Her new parents were eager to share everything—even answers to questions she hadn’t asked. Between practicing water bending with Clara, teaching Clara to write and read, and letting her parents fawn over her, she didn’t have time to worry too much about the future. Instead, she was learning everything there was to be taught about her culture. 

The only hesitation they ever seemed to have with River was when she introduced Cal. Both Tabetha and Augustus were used to the otter penguins and the polar bear dogs, but neither of them had seen an eel hound before River’s arrival; So when River had proudly introduced Cal to them, her parents had stood in silence for several minutes, just gaping at the enormous creature until Cal had made a step in Augustus' direction and proceeded to lick his face. 

Agustus had spluttered and tried to get away, but when Cal wanted attention, she got it no matter what. Tabetha had laughed with River until Cal turned her sights on the older woman Tabetha fled into the house at that.

River explained that evening over a late dinner that Cal was a very friendly and gentle hound _and really she wouldn’t hurt a spiderfly unless I told her to. She’s very obedient._

Cal’s howl interrupted River’s storytelling periodically. River would have brought Cal inside if she could, but the house was hardly two rooms big and Cal wouldn’t fit. On top of that, River wasn’t sure her parents were ready for that kind of proximity to the animal. Still, it tugged at her heart that Cal was so upset by it.

“Cal isn’t used to being alone,” River explained after another howl. “At home, we had five other eel hounds….” 

Her parents had nodded in understanding and changed the topic. They had understood fairly quickly that River wasn’t comfortable with the topic of her last home. So they didn’t ask about it too much.

When the night was dark, the three of them sat around a fire that River had lit in seconds, talking and laughing until a neighbor came to the door. The neighbor couldn’t get much out in the way of words besides, “monster” and “help.” 

River ran outside to see what was going on. Her heartbeat fast as she pushed through a crowd of gawking bystanders and found herself in front of the neighbor’s house. 

The houses here on the edge of down were no bigger than a rooster pig coop. Most were simply one room with a bed of sorts since the shelters had to be built by hand. Tabetha and Agustus were a little luckier to have two rooms, making their home only slightly bigger than the others nearby. The house in front of her was really quite small and probably couldn’t fit more than one person comfortably. 

Except River couldn’t see the house because there just so happened to be an eelhound wrapped around it.

Cal was sulking, curled up and hiding her eyes beneath her paws. It wasn’t a new behavior—Cal did that whenever River scolded her for something or failed to take her for a walk. Sulking wasn’t the problem here.

The _problem_ was the fact that Cal was completely engulfing the house that belonged to the frightened neighbor. Her snout was next to one side of the entrance and the tip of her tail on the other side. 

River stared at the scene, took a breath, resolved into helpless giggles. She laughed and laughed and doubled over still giggling. She had to grab the nearest person’s arm to keep from falling over, which happened to be her father.

“Is that normal?” Agustus asked in a small voice and River laughed even harder. 

Cal lifted her head at River’s voice and the crowd backed up save for the avatar herself. River stepped up to her friends and scratched beneath the hound’s chin. “Now there, Charlotte, there’s no need to pout.”

Cal started wagging her tail, causing snow to bounce where it hit the ground. 

“Come now,” River spoke gently, “We can’t be cuddling this nice man’s home. Come over to where we can see you, hm?”

Cal reluctantly stood and followed River and Agustus back toward their own household. 

With a little convincing, Cal was allowed to have her head through the front door all night. And every night after that when the neighbors complained she was howling too loudly.

Days continued steadily forward. River had eventually agreed with Clara that her stay here couldn’t be permanent. She needed to learn the elements—or so Granny constantly said. Something about worldly responsibility and avatar destiny. Being the avatar, in River’s opinion, had done nothing but turn her life upside down. What did she owe to this world that had taken everything from her? If anything, the world owed her.

Nonetheless, River would leave on the next full moon. “Or we might die along the way,” River added.

“Don’t they teach optimism in the Fire Nation?” Clara frowned at her friend. “It’s a straight line to the Northern Tribe. What could go wrong?”

“Do you want that list in alphabetical order or…?”

Clara laughed. Their afternoon bending practice often got derailed by these conversations. Despite her efforts to be a good teacher, Clara found herself more excited and distracted as their departure grew closer. “I can’t believe you’re letting me come with you.”

“Letting you? You’d hang onto Cal’s tail the whole way if I’d said no.”

“Yes,” she agreed. “I would.

River sat down, producing a little flame to hold in her hands and holding it close.

“Still not used to the cold?” Clara asked.

“Never will be. I’m going to stop in a desert just so you can complain about the heat.”

“Promise?”

River chuckled. “We’ll have to make stops anyways. How long is it to get there on foot… three weeks? A month? I hope you like camping.”

“When you learn to earthbend we won't need to camp. You can just make us a big house to sleep in wherever we are!” Clara mimicked a few bolder-lifts like an earth bender.

“Is that why you have so many lovely ice houses here?” River retorted. 

Clara stopped and flushed, glancing at the sloppy, hand made igloos and huts of the village. “It’s not that easy, you know.”

River stood with a mischievous smirk and pretended to water bend a big house. “So you don’t just ‘make a big house to sleep in wherever you are?”

“Ice is _complicated_.”

River shrugged. “It’s not too bad. It’s just heat balance.”

“You’d think a firebender would have more trouble with ice,” Clara grumbled. 

“I don’t have trouble with ice _because_ I’m a firebender.” To prove her point, River created a small ball of ice in her hand and after a moment, melted it completely and replaced it with fire. “I’m good with heat.”

“The day _I_ learn how to firebend is the day I…” Clara trailed off, looking at something behind River.

“Is the day you what?”

“Hm? Oh. I forget what I was going to say.”

“Right,” River glanced behind her. “What are you looking at.”

“Thought I saw someone watching. Probably just the kids being silly.”

“Yeah. Probably,” River murmured.

-x-

“Wot?” The look of shock on John’s face would have been more hilarious if it didn’t concern the amending of his banishment. Idris still found herself stifling a laugh. “You mean she’s here? The avatar is _actually_ here?”

“You are a master of tactics and strategy, Prince,” said the crew member who had delivered the news to John. Two young women had been spotted practicing water bending, and one of them had firebent as well. There was no question.

“Strategy? Tactics? I _guessed_!” he threw his arms in the air, emphasizing the last word.

“You’ve guessed correctly, nephew.” Idris smiled as the crewman left the two of them alone. “Give yourself some credit.”

John turned to his aunt anxiously. “I didn’t think it would be this quick. What am I supposed to _do_ with her? I’m not going to just- just kill her and bring father what's left.”

Idris winced at the mere thought. “Taking her alive isn’t out of the question.”

“It’s dangerous, isn’t it? She’s powerful and I’m not here to have my crew in danger… but there isn’t much else to do.”

After a while to think about it, John announced a plan to the crew. John would head into the village and find the avatar. If he could not bring her back within the hour, the crew was to come in and assist him. “No unnecessary violence,” John added. He always added that. “No casualties are to come of this. Where here for one person. That’s all.”

Despite insisting that he would be fine alone, John found Idris by his side as they were lowered off the main ship in a rowboat. The sun was just beginning to go down and campfires from the village looked like small fireflies glistening on the icy landscape. 

John and Idris docked the little rowboat and crept along the ice towards the village walls. 

The walls were unguarded and some bells in John’s head started to ring rather loudly, but he ignored them. He had a mission. They managed to creep up a wall near the main entrance to the village, the only place that had guards and both of them peeked over the wall. 

For a moment John could do nothing, but starring. Was this all there was? The village was small and from the looks of it rather poor. It was nothing like the stories he had heard about the southern tribe and their rich culture. Most of the buildings were small and simple and appeared handmade. Only the house in the middle resembled something of the decorated paintings he had seen in books from home. In front of this building, a group of people sat in the snow, most around small fires and with cauldrons in front of them. They sang and many danced, unbothered by the cold winds of the coming nightfall. 

His aunt hummed quietly almost in tune with the villagers’ music and John glanced over. Idris just smiled at him. “Some of the songs are recorded in our books, nephew,” she whispered. “Maybe you should read more.” 

“I _have_ read more,” he frowned. “It’s just… is this it? The Southern Tribe is always described as a powerful force with many warriors, but those…” John pointed at the people below. “Those are only women and children.” 

“Sometimes I forget you’ve never been outside the Fire Nation before,” Idris sighed. “The Southern Tribe _was_ like that once… But that was a long time ago when they still had water benders.”

“Still had—” John stopped and sputtered. “You mean there aren’t any water benders here?” 

Idris signed and John wasn’t sure he wanted to hear her answer or needed to hear it, but at that moment the music ended and silence fell. 

“My friends,” an old woman stood just before the entry of the hall and her voice echoed impressively loud. “ One moon cycle ago, the Avatar returned to us. Not only as the avatar, but as a member of our family and our tribe. She learned a lot about our culture and tonight she wants to show us about the culture she grew up in.” 

Another person stood up, John couldn’t really see much, but the blonde curls stood out. “Please be not alarmed, my friends.” The old lady spoke again. “River will show us a dance of her village like we just showed her a song of ours.” 

The young woman with the curly hair came to stand next to the older one. She looked much different than the other villagers, and not just because of her light hair and skin. Something in the way she held herself was new and unique to the others. 

“Thank you, Sheila,” she started, addressing the group. “This is a dance we like to do before the harvest and autumn festivals. It’s really supposed to be done with at least three people but I’ll do my best.”

John couldn’t take his eyes away from the young woman. Her voice was soft and confident all at the same time. He swallowed as she got into a starting position he recognized from the harvest dance back home. 

As she began to move in a graceful, controlled manner, small flames came to life from her hands. They grew bigger as she danced, becoming long streaks of yellow fire. 

“Impressive,” he heard Idris whisper next to him. “She’s rather good.”

John hesitated, squaring his jaw. “She’s alright, I suppose.”

Most of the people in the village were rather quieted. Some made noises that sounded fearful and John could see how many mothers embraced their children shielding them with their arms. The Avatar didn't notice it. Instead, she started to hum the rhythm that was part of the dance and the flames shuddered and twisted with every tone. It was beautiful. Flames of yellow and orange and dark red twirled close around the girl, bathing her in light and warmth. Even from the distance, he could see the smile on her face. 

Some of the children wrestled with their mothers when they realized that the flames weren’t dangerous, or at least didn’t look dangerous to them. Idris chuckled next to him. “I remember some lads quite like them. Eager to go near the flames that looked so beautiful.”

John tried not to blush and stared at the Avatar.

They watched the rest of the dance quietly, though Idris still hummed along with the tune. When River had finished, she bowed to her audience. “Thank you all for being so welcoming to me these past weeks. I know it wasn’t easy to accept a fire bender even though I am the avatar. I thank you all for your open minds and open hearts. I cannot explain how much it means to me after what happened to my home in the Earth Colonies. You have shown me so much kindness and I hope to return that kindness to you and to pay it forwards on my travels.”

John looked at his aunt. “What happened to her home?”

Idris hesitated and bit her lip. She said nothing.

John swallowed. “The meeting... Oh no.” Something cold slid down his back and the almost healed wound on his chest felt like it was burning again.

Idris looked away, trying to change the subject. “Maybe you should focus on getting her to the ship. We can discuss it later.”

He stared at her, trying to push away the horror he felt when something pulled on his foot and dragged him off the wall. 

He yelped, clinging to the ice but failing to get any grip. Instead, he was dangled above the ground upside down by a giant mouth.

Idris stared at her nephew, alarmed. “Is that an eelhound?”

The hound in question raised itself on its hind legs and if John could read his aunt right, it looked at her. The growl the hound gave, vibrated through his bones and Idris was on her feet in seconds. “It’s ok. I’ll do what you want, just don’t hurt him.”

The hound growled again and jerked its head. For a moment all John could see was a wild mix of colors and Idris suppressed cry. “It’s ok. I’m walking!” His aunt cried and then she slid down the wall. Her eyes fixed on him. 

“I’m fine,” he managed to say. Sadly it didn’t sound quite convincing.

The eelhound snorted and urged Idris towards the front gate, bringing John along by default. It wasn’t stupid, John thought. The hound knew exactly what it was doing which was, in this case, turning the two of them into the village.

So much for the surprise.

All music and conversation stopped as the eelhound brought the two trespassers to the middle of the village where everyone had been dancing and singing. John yelped as he was dropped suddenly into the ground, getting a face full of snow. 

“Pleh..” he spat, trying to get a hold of himself. His leg didn’t hurt too badly for being held between giant teeth. He managed to get right side up and as he did, he realized a young woman was standing over him with a deadly look about her.

The Avatar.

He swallowed, “Um… hi?”

Idris snorted behind him, and for a moment, the Avatars eyes shot up. They focused on his aunt and then drifted even further up and a smile crept onto her face. “Good girl.” She cooed and behind John the eelhound started to drum its tail onto the ground. “Such a good girl. Did you find the intruders, Cal? I’m proud of you.” 

Behind him, the snorts of his aunt had turned into loud laughter, and had the feeling it was because of his face. He made a mental note to tell his aunt that his face was only red because it was cold here and not for any other reason, thank you very much.

Ignoring the amusement of his aunt, he started to get to his feet, but the Avatar pushed him down. She pinned him to the ground with her foot, hands at the ready with flames licking her knuckles. Somehow, despite the clear threat of her, there was a bit of a grin on her face.

“You’d better explain yourself quickly,” River said sharply. “Or that pretty royal face of yours gets some less flattering additions.”

For a moment he was back in the palace. Just seconds away from the end of the Agni Kai and his throat closed up in a panic. He could smell burning flesh and feel the pain. His aunt made a sound in the back of her throat and John was back in the cold snow of the southern tribe. He shook his head and clenched his teeth. He would not do that right now. He blinked and met her eyes, trying hard to be like his sister.

“You know who I am?” He demanded, imitating the tone of voice Missy always used.

“Your face is on every street post in the Fire Nation,” she rolled her eyes. “So is your father’s. And your sister’s. Really, the day I see a building without the royal family plastered on a wall is the day I become the Fire Lady. Have to admit, I didn’t think you could grow a beard with that baby face, but here we are.”

Whispers spread through the village folk around them. Many of the children had been ushered inside the houses, but some of the older and braver stood defensively at the ready. Ready for a fight? He wasn’t here to hurt them, didn’t they know that? 

“Please, if you could let my nephew stand up, please.” Idris's voice was calm and collected. She sounded like she was in one of the meetings, ready to discuss strategy. “It’s much easier to discuss the reason why we are here without anything like this.” 

The Avatar didn’t look convinced, but John saw something in her face just seconds before she lifted her foot. It was something his aunt brought for people; the assurance that she would listen before acting. 

“Please?” Idris asked and a moment later the foot disappeared from his chest. 

“Talk,” River spat and took another step back. The eelhound appeared in her back, growling at them. 

John staggered to his feet, Idris immediately by his side, steadying him. 

“We need you to come with us,” John said. 

There was no reason to play games with her. She had already threatened him and his aunt, so John just told her the truth. “We need you to come with us, back to our ship, and back to the Fire Nation. It’s…”

He faltered. Thinking about the meeting and her burned village. He looked around at the faces of the people around him. Fearful faces that didn’t hold even a little bit of trust for him. Was this really the right way?

_Don’t come back until you find the Avatar. No son of mine will be like…_

John squared his shoulders and looked her directly in the eyes. “It’s a matter of peace.” 

The Avatar didn’t move or react in any way, but he could see her hesitating. “I promise you that no one of your tribe will be harmed. I promise you this as the crown prince of the Fire Natio—”

Something behind him exploded and then there were shouts and the sound of fire. John whirled around to see his men entering the village. Parts of the wall were molten, the guards nowhere to be seen and his men already attacked the villagers.

John and Idris shared a look of shock between them. Had it been an hour already? They’d just needed a little time. John turned back in time to see the rage in the Avatar’s eyes, just seconds before her fist came down towards him. 

He squeaked, rolling out of the way. A steaming hole in the snow was where his head had been and his heart started to race as he looked back at the Avatar. “This is a misunderstanding!” He tried to say, but River was already lunging again. 

John rolled again, stumbling to his feet in front of his aunt and dawning a defensive position, “I don’t want to fight you!”

“I’m sure that’s why you brought a battleship with you,” River spat. She moved her arms in a way he’d never seen a firebender do and suddenly the snow beneath him slid out from under his feet and he was on the ground once more.

Someone ran up behind the Avatar, pulling her arm. It was another young woman, her hair short and brown. “River,” she said, “Your parents! Their things are on fire and they're burning the houses!”

River didn't take her eyes off John but had stopped attacking for just a moment to listen to the other woman. For a moment, the Avatar glanced up and saw the village around her going up in smoke. Children were cowering in corners and those who knew how to fight were no match for the armored benders.

Was this what her own village had been before getting wiped out? She remembered the ash of when she had come home to, but she had been too late to hear the screams she was hearing now. Had the children of her village run and cowered like this? Did they put up a fight? Had her parents burned alone and betrayed by their own nation? All she had left of that place were bones and the horrible smells of burning flesh. Was this place to meet the same fate because of her? It was her fault again, she was sure of it. The Prince hadn’t come here for anyone else but her.

It was her fault.

River blinked and turned around to look at the other woman. “Let’s go.” She said in a hard whisper and then they ran. They made it almost ten steps when a panicked cry cut above the noise of the attack. Every water tribe member stopped cold and turned to a source. A soldier had a little girl by the arm and a sword pressed to her throat. 

River felt her blood run cold. The little girl, Ellie, was her parents' neighbor. She wasn’t even ten years old and River could see the terror in her eyes. It must have been a trick of the light but for a moment, River swore Ellie was wearing air nomad clothes.

In the back of her head, she heard the prince’s angry shouts and his demands to let the girl go. She was almost sure that she heard something about no violence, but the noise in her ears drowned almost everything out. 

No not a noise... _voices_. Voices of men and women calling to her. Telling her what to do and how to do it. Promising her a way to save everyone. River closed her eyes and listened. 

She didn’t notice Clara backing away or the cold wind picking up around her. River listened and when she opened her eyes she knew what to do. It was like her arms were moving by themselves. River could feel a power running through her, pushing and pulling her movements and connecting her with something she couldn’t quite name. In a swift move, the soldier holding Ellie was suddenly waist-deep in the ground and stuck there. He’d dropped Ellie, who ran for her mother.

River couldn't feel anything but the strange yet familiar energy. She didn’t feel the heat of the fire benders nor the cold of the winds. She didn’t even feel the ground beneath her feet. Clara would tell her later that it was because she was no longer on the ground, instead, lifted by a column of water.

The invaders seemed to shrink as she rose up taller than the entire rest of the village. The firebenders shot at her watery pedestal but to no avail. River shouted in anger and streams of water shot out like arms back at her attackers, grabbing them and throwing them into the freezing water outside the village. 

Soon the only Firebenders were the Prince and his aunt below her. River lowered herself back to the ground, ice spikes raising around the two royals like a cage. As she approached, she saw their expressions more clearly: The Prince was breathing heavily and his eyes darted from one side to the next, never really focusing or taking something really in. The woman stood next to him, her arms tightly around him and her expression almost as bad as his. Only her eyes darted between River and her nephew. 

The look in her eyes drowned the voices in River's head. They got quieter and quieter until there was only a whisper in the back of her mind. The Prince looked afraid of her and when River turned her head, so did the people of her village. 

They looked at her like they had looked at the fire soldiers just moments ago. 

It felt like a hit in the stomach. River blinked, trying hard to breathe, but her throat only tightened. “Leave,” she managed to say. Her voice was hoarse. With a small gesture, she returned half of the ice spikes back to the water, and then she only stared at them. 

Neither of the two moved. No that wasn’t right. The prince was still trapped in his panicked stupor unable to…

“LEAVE!” River shouted and this time the Firelady moved. She grasped her nephew's hand and then they were running. River didn’t turn to see them leave; she didn’t dare to move at all.

She waited until she heard Cal coming closer. Her breathing hitched and River hid her face in her friend's neck.

What had she done? Steam and smoke still wafted through the village from dying fires. It would take these people weeks, maybe months to recover and restore all of this damage. She looked to the place where she had attacked; there was nothing but mangled fragments of ice. How had she even done that?

Her knees felt weak and she all but collapsed to the ground, staring at her hands. The destruction around her was her fault. These people had taken her in and shared what little they had with her and she repaid them like this? All of it was wrong. If being the Avatar meant nothing but violence, then she didn’t want it.

“River…?” River looked up at Clara’s voice. Clara didn’t seem hurt and she was thankful for that. “Are you okay?”

“No,” River croaked. “Not even a little.”

Clara fidgeted with her hands, not sure what to say. “Er, everyone’s okay… I think. Few burns, new sprains, but okay overall. Ellie is a bit shaken but she’ll be okay.”

“She won’t be.”

“What?”

River stared at Clara, hoping she didn’t notice the wetness to her cheeks. “None of you will be okay as long as I’m here,” her voice was still quiet, but sure. “The Fire Nation wants me and it’s clear they’ll do anything to succeed. I’m a danger to you. I have to leave.”

“River…” Clara sounded unsure, but River just looked away. 

“I’m leaving tonight,” she whispered and walked away before Clara could say something. 

“RIVER!” She ignored Clara's calls and everyone else. 

-x-

“So this is goodbye?” River looked up at the mother and tried a small smile, somehow she wasn’t sure if she succeeded. “It’s better this way.” She said quietly. Her mother huffed and sat down next to her. 

Over the last hours, River had done everything in her power to help as many people as she could. She had pushed her water bending to the limit to rebuild as many houses as she could. She couldn’t return their belongings, but she could give some of them a home. 

For a moment she and her mother sat in silence, both of them packing River's belongings into Cal's saddlebags. 

“You know, It’s quite ironic.” Her mum finally said. River looked up to see her mum looking at her. “Once we left you so you could be safe. Now you leave us so we can be safe. Look at how the tables turn.” 

River tried to say something, but she turned away and closed her eyes. 

“I’m sorry,” Tabetha whispered. “Oh River! Come here. Darling.” She pulled River into an embrace, holding her as he tried and failed not to cry.

“I feel like such a fraud,” River managed to say, her shoulders shaking. “I feel like I’ve lost everything.”

“That’s not true, my love,” Tabetha hushed. “You will always have your father and me. We will be here no matter what happens.”

River pulled back to look at her mother, eye red. “But what if something happens to you? Terrible things keep happening to people I care about and… and…” She took a shaking breath. “If I stay you’re all in danger and if I leave no one is here to protect you. It’s like every single thing I do is wrong.”

Tababeth looked at her daughter calmly, cupping her face. “Sometimes the only choices we have are bad ones, my little song. But we must still make those choices. You of all people must make choices and it is the unfortunate truth that many of those decisions will be bad ones.” 

“It’s not fair.” River whispered. “I never wanted to do this.” 

Her mum smiled. “No it’s not, but life is rarely fair.” She titled River’s chin up to have her stop looking at the ground. “Look at me, darling. You have a lot in front of you right now. A lot of “must”s and “have to”s. Destiny… _your_ destiny is demanding and difficult and hard. You are the avatar, yes, but you are also River. You will always be River before you are the avatar and it will do you good to remember that.”

Tabitha gave her another quick kiss in the forehead and then turned. “Here.” She said and gave River a necklace with a delicate charm. “It’s one of the moon spirits. It’s the symbol of our tribe. Our patron. Your dad made it for me when we found out I was pregnant. I think you need it, more than us.” She smiled and before River could protest she had put the necklace around River's neck. “There you go.” 

Tabetha’s smile grew sadder and she hugged River close once more. “My baby.” She whispered and River really didn’t want to go. “Promise you’ll come back safe, hm?”

River wiped her eyes and nodded. “I’ll do my best.”

Outside, Augustus and Clara were waiting with Cal. They helped River strap her bags down and soon she and Clara were sitting atop the eelhound, looking out at the village that had shown them so much kindness. 

“Last chance to change your mind,” River said to Clara

“Not a chance,” Clara replied. 

River gave a short nod, waving at her parents. “On we go, then.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made fanart of the battle scene which will be up on my Patreon (transcentralstation) soon!


	4. Kyoshi Island

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clara got to her feet, trying to process what had just happened. “You hit pretty hard for a bunch of girls,” she muttered, rubbing the back of her head.
> 
> The short one glared. “Remind me which one of you is the Avatar and the Unagi will feast on the other.”
> 
> “The what-gi?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Avatar Kyoshi's face claim in the ninth doctor by the way.

**Chapter Four: Kyoshi Island**

Eelhounds, River had found over the years of raising them, were a bit like toddlers. They were happy to play, happy to be told they were doing a good job, but the moment they saw something more interesting than you, their attention was impossible to get back. That was how River and Clara found themselves on an island with giant jumping koi fish instead of on their designated path of travel.

Clara sat in the sand somewhat glaring at Cal, who was chasing the fish through the water. She wasn’t used to Cal’s airheaded personality like River was. 

“You’d better not wait up for her. She could be at it for hours,” River hummed, amused. The Avatar was using this time to stretch and snack. They’d been traveling for a few days now without much rest.

“Can’t you, you know, tell her to get a move on?”

“I’m afraid it doesn’t work like that. Besides, she needs a little break. So do we for that matter.”

Clara sighed impatiently but resigned. “Where are we?”

“Um…” River pondered, pulling out a map they’d been given by the Southern tribe before they had left. She brought it over to Clara—neither of them had much practice with cartography. 

“Are we even holding it the right way?” Clara muttered after a moment and River just shot her a glare. 

“I may be bad at this, but I can place south and north.” There was a bite in her tone; River had her pride and that comment had rubbed the wrong way. 

It was true River didn’t know much about cartography, but her dad had taught her some basics. She wouldn’t let Clara hurt an image of her late father, no matter how unintentionally it was.

“The island I grew up on is this one,” River said and pointed to one of the larger islands just below the mainland of the earth kingdom. “I know that we aren’t on…”

River stopped and looked around. Something was strange. The hair on the back of her neck stood up and River's head shot in the direction where Cal was. Even her eelhound wasn’t as playful as just seconds before. In fact, Cal was swimming in their direction at a rapid pace. 

“Cal?” River was on her feet. Expecting something to shoot out of the water, instead, River felt something behind her. She heard Clara shout out in a muffled tone before a hand closed over her mouth from behind. Her hands flew up with flames at the ready, but something hit her head hard before she could fight back and the world went black.

Her head ached when she awoke and so did her back. She realized, as she regained her senses, that she had been tied to a large wooden pole. Next to her Clara was tied up as well, still quite out of it. 

A whining from her other side sounded like Cal. River looked up to see her hound muzzled and her legs bound. Anger rising, she turned her gaze to the figures surrounding them. Women in heavy green dresses watched River carefully, pointing fans at her like weapons. River could see the sharp edge of the fans and the soft glimmer of metal reflecting the sun. She knew the fans were positively deathly, but nobody hurt her Cal. Behind them, townsfolk watched.

Well at least one of them could tell them where they were. If River didn’t kill them all first.

“Who are you?” Someone demanded.

“None of your damn business,” River hissed. 

Cal whimpered again and River squared her jaw, exhaling smoke from her nose in an attempt to keep her temper. 

“They’re firebenders!” One of the other women cried which sent clear discomfort through the onlookers.

“N… not a fire bender,” Clara mumbled, hardly able to keep her head up. How hard did they hit her? At least she was starting to wake up. River wasn’t great at negotiations and could really use the help. 

“Look, we were just taking a break from our travels.” 

“No, your stupid eelhound took a break from our travels.” Clara slurred and River signed deeply but continued to speak as if nothing had happened. 

“Let us go and we’ll be out of your hair,” River tried.

One of the girls snorted. “Of course, and we will also give you some food and a place for the night and by tomorrow, there will be a fire nation ship at our harbour and they will burn our village.” 

River just glared at the girl. She was even shorter than Clara even if just by a few inches, but the whole way she was holding herself and the air around her made her look bigger than she was. River just glared. “That would be appreciated, but is not necessary, thank you very much. My friend and I are just traveling and my eelhound—”

“She’s the Avatar, so show some respect!” Clara blurted, sounding still a bit dizzy. River groaned and wished desperately she could hide her face in her hands. Really who had thought Clara could be such a dumbass?

“The Avatar?” The small one snorted. “Of course, I didn’t know the fire nation could be that arrogant, but the last avatar was an air nomad and the new Avatar is a waterbender, neither of…” 

River took a deep breath and concentrated on the snow around her. She could feel it under her feet and in the air. She managed to move her hand just so that she could move them in the right way and suddenly all around them the snow melted and rose into pillars of water that refroze within seconds.

She could hear gasping around her, but her eyes were closed with concentration; she’d never had to bend water bound up like this. Fire, yes no problem, after all, breathing fire didn’t require one’s hands, but water bending like this? Much harder! At least she was better at the frozen things. When she opened them, she realized that the pillars she’d made were almost human-like in appearance. In fact, she swore she could make out a face in the ice, not unlike her late mother’s.

She looked away as the ropes loosened and they were cut free. Clara fell to her knees, still a bit out of it. River wasted no time running over to Cal and tearing the muzzle off her. 

“You’re okay, sweet girl,” she stroked Cal’s snout, holding her tightly. “I’m so sorry. You’re okay now.”

Clara got to her feet, trying to process what had just happened. “You hit pretty hard for a bunch of girls,” she muttered, rubbing the back of her head.

The short one glared. “Remind me which one of you is the Avatar and the Unagi will feast on the other.”

“The what-gi?”

River came up behind Clara, putting a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t aggravate them. They almost killed you.”

“Do I look dead to you?”

River chuckled. “Do you really want me to answer that?”

They were interrupted by one of the townsfolk, an older man in blue robes. “The Kyoshi warriors humbly apologize to you, Avatar, for the misunderstanding.” River raised an eyebrow, glancing between Clara and the man. “We extend a genuine offer of sanctuary to you,” he continued, “We are humbled to be in your presence again.”

“Er, _again_?”

Clara was the one to sigh this time. “Kyoshi? As in _Avatar_ Kyoshi? Really, I’m really getting worried about what they’ve been teaching you in the colonies.”

“We didn’t have to remember every Avatar that ever existed,” River defended. “There’s, like, a million of them or something! That would adjust be torture. How do you even know?” River consciously avoided mentioning that most of the stuff she had learned was strategy, bending techniques, and the _good_ the fire nation had done for the colonies.

“Granny had me memorize the last twenty Avatars to live. Something about history is important and all. I made up a mnemonic if you want to learn it.”

“I’ll pass, thank you. But some hospitality is very welcomed. I don’t sleep well at sea.”

“Ashildr,” the man said to the short one. “Please show the Avatar and her guest their accommodations.” 

The short one—River decided she liked the nickname better—growled and glared at Clara, but turned without much protest and stomped away. 

“Clara you go on, I’ll need to look after Cal. I don’t like the way some of the ropes cut into her ankles.” River said loudly and watched with amusement, how the short one stopped cold in her steps and with even greater amusement who Clara’s eyes got bigger than possible. She barely managed to suppress a snort of laughter. 

It was only half fun because River was genuinely worried about Cal. It was known in many colonies that eel hounds were strong and River suspected that the Kyoshi warriors also knew this, and had acted on the knowledge. Which got Cal some bad looking cuts. 

“We apologize, for hurting your companion, Avatar, but we didn’t…” 

River shushed the old man with a wink of her hand. “It’s fine. I’ll just need some healing plants and something to wrap the wound. Cal will be fine in a few days.” 

The man nodded and delegated to another few people to get what she needed. River sat next to Cal as people moved around her. The townsfolk were still staring, but half of them had gone back to whatever they’d been doing before.

What had Clara gotten them into? If she’d kept her mouth shut, they could be far from this place by now. River let questions fill her mind as she pat Cal soothingly. The mere presence of a firebender had made this whole town ready to kill her. And being the Avatar apparently had the complete opposite effect. 

Those women, those _warriors_ , were apparently named after an Avatar. Why? What was so special about Kyoshi? River had never heard the name before, surely it couldn’t be that important. But then again, she was lacking worldly education according to Clara, so what did she know?

This was all Clara’s fault, River decided. Anyone who knew River knew that she could hold a grudge for years on end and River wasn’t going to be forgiving anytime soon. 

There was a crash in the distance and then there was shouting and River could hear Clara’s voice. That was another thing about Clara. She was small, a know-it-all, had eyes that could grow bigger than possible, and she could be loud. 

River signed again and patted Cal one last time before she got to her feet. “Could you find a place where Cal is sheltered from the elements?” She asked the first person she saw and then headed in the direction of the shouting.

She found Clara nose to nose with the small one. They were trading insults like they were candies and River cocked her head. They reminded her of some friends she had in the colony. One of the village boys, Ianto, would get into fights like this with one of the traveling merchants that visited the village every so often. River had been a close friend of Jack’s and she knew this kind of look. Back home it meant that Jack would drag Ianto into his wagon and neither of them would leave for hours. 

“Do you need a room or should I come back later?” River asked with amusement and both girls jumped back. Clara blushed, but Ashildr’s makeup didn’t give River any indication of what the other girl was thinking. River giggled and pushed past Clara and Ashildr. “You are free to eat with us, Ashildr,” River called over her shoulder and grinned even wider, as Clara started to protest.

That was how Clara found herself sitting directly across from Ashildr at what she deemed a very awkward dinner party. River had been placed at the head of the table and Cal had her head through the window so River could feed her little bits of the feast.

Admittedly, Clara had never seen so much food in one place and if she was willing to break the glaring contest with the short one she could have stuffed her face. 

A few other Kyoshi warriors were in attendance as was the man from earlier. His name, they had learned, was Oyaji and he was the mayor of Kyoshi Island. Apparently, the Warriors weren’t part of the island government, despite the clear authority Ashildr seemed to have. People listened to her just as much as Oyaji, maybe even more so, and River could respect that.

River had been explaining her story to them as they ate, starting from when she had met Clara to their plan to head North. In turn, Oyaji shared the island's history with her. Kyoshi, apparently, had been the one to confront and stop Chin the Conqueror. (River hadn’t learned much about that war either in school. It hadn’t really involved the Fire Nation, so they breezed over it.) 

The house they were staying at was at the top of the hill and overlooked the rest of the town. River saw at the base of the hill was the large wooden pole they’d been tied to earlier. It wasn’t actually a pole, but a carving of Kyoshi herself. The old Avatar was dressed in the same makeup and costume all the other warriors were wearing.

Kyoshi had derived the fighting style and even designed the look of the outfit. Oyaji said something about Kyoshi’s self-expression of femininity and how the clothes helped other people stop thinking of her as a man. River wasn’t paying much attention until he mentioned, “training with Ashildr at dawn.”

River nearly choked. “Sorry, what?”

“I assure you, Avatar, Ashildr is the best of the best when it comes to fighting. She has trained all of our warriors herself and her lessons to you will be of no less quality.”

Clara and River exchanged looks then River grinned mischievously. “I’d love to, but only if Clara is also included in the lesson.” 

Clara’s eyes grew again and this time River could see Ashildr’s reaction because the warrior choked on her food. Oyaji agreed happily.


	5. Hello Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> River had some bets on whether they would end up kissing in a corner or killing each other. She was pretty sure it would be the first one otherwise she’d lose the last two copper pieces she had bet with. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made more arts... plz clap

**Chapter Five: Hello Again**

They heard the rumors from the cook when he bought them their meal. The old man had the tendency to flirt with Idris whenever they were in the same room and John really hated it. Still, the cook also was the most trustworthy person on the ship and he always knew when a rumor was true or not.

So after dinner, John and Idris retired to their chamber to plan their way to Kyoshi Island. “I’ll need to talk to the crew, again,” John mumbled into his beard. He had contemplated shaving, but he always hesitated. Whenever he stood in front of the mirror he would see the smirk the Avatar had on her face when she had mentioned his beard and in the end, he never shaved. “I don't need a repetition of the events of the Southern Water Tribe.” 

Idris shot him a pitting look, that John ignored.

He had returned to the Water Tribe village the morning after the attack. He hadn’t dared to enter the village, but his mere presence at the town wall was enough to alert them all. He had apologized for his men and the attack they had started. He had tried to explain to the villagers that he never meant to hurt anyone, but he also had seen the looks of fear and disdain they had given him. So he simply had left the bag he had brought with him and returned to the ship. 

John hadn’t returned directly to the ship, instead, he hid behind a patch of snow and watched how the villagers had unpacked the bag, filled with clothing, medicine, and spare food, John knew only his aunt would miss. The joy of the children when they saw the warm clothing and the food was enough for John to forget his anger with his crew. 

“I’ll need to make sure that nobody gets hurt.” 

“I’m not so sure it’s a matter of your crew,” Idris said carefully, “But often the subject of the Fire Nation receive us with… controversial views.”

His eyes shined with hope and regret as he looked up at his aunt. Somewhere in him, he knew the harsh truth but he wasn’t ready to admit it. He didn’t know if he would ever be ready. 

“But a talk would help, too,” Idris added at John’s expression.

It was difficult to sleep that night. John wandered the ship’s halls whenever he couldn’t sleep which was more common these days at sea. He found himself on the deck, greeted by a warm breeze. The sky was always so clear at sea. Sometimes he wondered if the spirits made it that way on purpose or if that was just how things were. 

He had no idea what time it was but the sun had been gone for hours. His mind was chattering away in his head and no matter what he did, his brain wouldn’t shut up. Strangely enough, all he was thinking about was the Avatar. Why had his father picked the Avatar of all things to capture? Was banishment not enough? It had all been so distant last week. Everything felt far away like a dream, but after meeting her the reality of the situation was heavy and confusing. 

It had been pure luck finding her at the south pole, but now just a few days later he had found her again. It was like it was supposed to happen. Something wanted him to find her. 

He both dreaded and hoped for their next meeting because something about the Avatar just wouldn’t leave him. Whenever he trained with one of his men, he would think of the ease with which she had performed the fire dance and how she had smiled at her people. He just couldn’t stop thinking about her and it drove him mad because he was afraid of hurting her, but also afraid of what would happen if he didn’t finish his mission.

-x-

Training with the Kyoshi warriors was both challenging and amusing. Challenging, because they were a sworn in bunch, that knew each other and knew each other's weaknesses. That meant they also knew how to exploit both River’s and Clara’s weaknesses. It was irking River to no end how easy they could fight her and put her to the ground and she wasn’t allowed to bend at them. 

On the bright side, Clara and the short one were endlessly entertaining because they couldn't _stop_ fighting their own little war. Most of the time they just glared and had this … _tension_ between them, but sometimes it almost looked like one of them was about to throw something. Even the other Kyoshi warriors had picked up on them and whenever Clara or Ashildr started a fight, they all would step back in unison, just watching that wreckage unfold. It was brilliant. 

River had some bets on whether they would end up kissing in a corner or killing each other. She was pretty sure it would be the first one otherwise she’d lose the last two copper pieces she had bet with. 

“Look at it this way,” River told Clara after the training session ended. “If she tears your head off first, then Cal will have less luggage to carry to the North Pole.”

“You’d love that,” Clara practically growled, aching everywhere from the workout. “And if _I_ rip _her_ head off first?”

“Then I won’t get to see the wedding.” River pretended to bawl and wipe her eyes.

“You knob!” Clara punched her in the arm and River only laughed harder. “What happened to taking a _short_ break? That was the day before last and we’re still here.”

“What’s the rush?” River asked. “You’re the one who played the avatar card. It’s not my fault these people adore me.”

“They adore the concept of you,” Clara huffed. 

“Ashildr adores the concept of you,” River said under her breath.

“What?”

“Nothing,” she smiled. “Look it’s not like we’re wasting our time here. We’re getting some really good lessons here.”

“We’re _supposed_ to be getting really good lessons in the North Pole. This has nothing to do with water bending!”

“Hey, fighting is a useful skill and you could really use it. Besides Kyoshi based her fighting style on all elements, so you _are_ getting water bending lessons.” River ignored Clara’s glare. “And I’m not just talking about the warrior training. I’m learning about Avatar stuff every minute. Did you know I invented sandbending in a past life?”

“That is the most useless piece of information I’ve ever heard,” Clara deadpanned. 

“Not as useless as your Avatar mnemonic,” River chided. “And no, I will not be learning it no matter how many times you repeat it.”

“I don’t care about the stupid mnemonic!” Clara stopped in her path, turning fully to River. “We had a plan, okay? And it’s already been changed once when that prince showed up.”

River could tell Clara was more serious now. “So we left a little early. Is that a problem?”

“No. The problem is that that guy is still out there and he’s still looking for you. And, I don’t know if you recall, but you’re on a trading island full of people who won’t shut up about you!”

River was silent for a moment as she took it all in. “Nobody would be that stupid…”

A huge fireball rushed past them and failed to hit one of the houses by mere inches. The tree behind the house was less lucky. 

For a long moment they both just stared at the burning tree and then they turned to the sea. A very familiar ship laid in the bay. “Son of a…” River cursed as the next fireball sailed through the air. She barely managed to bend it away from the house it would have hit. Around her, the people started screaming and running around wildly. 

“Told you so!” Clara chirped and River cursed. 

“Oh shut up, you're the one who cursed our luck, by talking about it!”

Clara snorted and ran past River down to the beach to the water, trying to help with the fireballs. 

“What is going on?” Ashildr and her warriors left the training hall and River sighed in relief. 

“Fire nation, they found me.” 

The warriors cursed, but Ashildr got them in line within seconds. “What do you need us to do?” She asked and River smiled at her gratefully. 

“Get the people out of here and try to get as much water as possible, we won’t be able to stop all of them. So you need to help to stop the fire with buckets.”

Ashildr nodded quickly and turned to her warriors to delegate assignments. 

River turned back to Clara, fuming. “What sort of arsehole preaches nonviolence then turns around and tries to burn down a whole village?”

“Maybe it’s not him?” Clara offered. “Or he’s just, you know, an arse.” 

River shook her head. “We need to leave. They’re after me and if they see me leaving they’ll stop… right?”

“They’ll follow us,” Clara pointed out.

“Well, that’s a future problem. And Cal can swim faster than their ships. Go find her and tell everyone to get to the far side of the island. I’ll see what I can do here.”

Clara nodded and ran off. River turned her attention back to the approaching ship. She hadn’t been practicing her water bending lately, but maybe if she focused she could do something. Taking a deep breath, she started moving her arms, pushing and pulling the water in front of her until a wave started to form. 

“Come on… bigger than that.” She huffed. Water bending wasn’t about breath, it was about balance. She relaxed her shoulders a bit, letting the movement of the water come as a natural rhythm rather than a forced thing. 

The wave grew tall and River grinned. In a swift motion, she pushed it forwards and sent it traveling across the bay. It crashed over the ship with an anticlimactic splash but the fireballs seemed to stop. 

Ashildr ran up to her. “Well.”

“Um… good news and bad news. Good news is that the ship is too wet to make fireballs anymore. Bad news is that probably means they’re going to dock and approach on foot. How about you?”

“We started evacuating and the other warriors are controlling the fire.”

“And Clara? I sent her to get Cal.”

Ashildr looked regretful. “She ran into the woods after the first fireball. I think it scared her.”

“What!? Oh no, it’ll take forever to find her. Go with her and help her look, please. You’re a good tracker, it'll go faster with you there.”

“Are you sure you’ll be okay here?”

“Believe it or not, I have some experience with firebenders.”

Ashildr turned and started to run, but River called after her once more. “Hey, Ashildr?” The short one turned and River grinned. “Did Clara tell you she’s rather shy?” 

Ashildrs eyebrows knitted and River grinned even wider. 

“The way she’s acting around you, it’s her way to tell you she likes you.” 

This time, not even the make-up could hide the blush and River turned back to the shore with a devilish grin. 

“You owe me, Clara. You owe me big time!”

-x-

John was screaming and done with his crew and their stupidity and …he was done with the whole world. “I TOLD YOU TO _NOT_ HARM ANYONE.” 

His men looked at him, wet to the bone, confused, but at least they had the nerve to look sheepish. “I mean what the hell? Do I need to spell out what DO NOT HARM ANYONE means?” 

Nobody answered and he growled. “I’ll need a boat and some men who can hold their temper, we’ll go to the island and capture the Avatar without causing any more harm. Do you understand me?”

-x-

Cal came back on her own. River had started to bend water to stop the fire that was burning down the houses. Surprisingly her saddle was back in its place and the bags filled with their stuff and some food. “What the…?” 

Oyaji peaked around a house front and waved at River grinning like a mad man. “Do you know that elephant koi enjoy heat much more than the cold?” He shouted and 

River blinked. Once, twice and then she understood. “You are a genius!” River yelled back and the old man waved once more before he retreated. 

She got onto Cal’s back and ordered her forwards to the water. Cal obediently swam out from the shore towards the ship which was lowering a boat into the water. River got off Cal and into the water. “Go find Clara. We’ll meet on the other side of the island.”

Cal turned back to shore, leaving River to it. River took a deep breath and dove underwater a few feet. There was movement around her and she tried not to feel afraid. 

She knew how to swim, but she only knew small ponds and rivers. Swimming in the sea was something completely different. She let her breath out slowly, heating the water around her as she did. She had to surface a few times to get her breath, but soon the water was quite warm and the movement in the depths below her was coming towards her.

At first, they were only dark shapes and barely even that. Black blobs of movement, that got closer. River made another imagined breath, heating the water further. The blobs turned into fishlike shadows. River heated the water once more and this time little flames lightened the darkness of the water for a second. 

The scales of the koi gleamed golden and white in her flames and the eyes of the giants looked much more intelligent than she expected. River grinned and grabbed for the backfin of the biggest one, just as it swam past her. 

The koi broke over water and River gasped for air. Still, she didn’t have any time to spare. The koi fell back into the water and River concentrated on a deep breath. She concentrated on the heat of the water and forced it to move to be just out of reach of the koi. The big fish followed in the path River needed it to be.

The other three fish followed hot on her heels.

She only noticed the little boat when she was about to pass it. In it was a group of men, most of them soldiers, but one of them stood out. 

River knew that look of disbelief and she knew that beard, it still looked wrong on his face and she had to suppress the urge to find a knife and save the man. Still, River would saver the look of pure disbelief Prince John wore for the rest of her life. 

“Nice to see you again!” She screamed over the noise of the koi and waved at him. At the last moment, she turned once more. “CAREFUL WITH THE UNAGI”

As the Avatar plunged back into the water on the back of the elephant koi, John could say nothing except for, “The what-gi?”

Before he could process anything, something burst out of the water where the fish had been jumping—something much, much bigger than an elephant koi. 

The body of the giant thing flung itself over the deck of John’s ship and continued to wrap itself around the entire structure. His men were shouting and the serpent was screeching, but John was still looking at the water.

He watched as a girl riding an eelhound pulled the Avatar out of the water and onto the shared saddle, then left as fast as the eelhoud could swim.

“... Thanks for the warning,” he whispered. He wasn’t sure, but he would swear he could hear the laughter of the avatar.


	6. A Story for River

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Remember how many trees were in the south pole? This is new to me! And exciting.” She retorted. Eyeing the tree mischievously, Clara grabbed a branch and started to climb. 
> 
> “Hey!” River ran up to the trunk, but Clara was already high off the ground. “Get down here! We’ve got places to be.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We have a big soft spot for this chapter. This is where you'll start to see the differences between ALTA cannon spirit world and this AU

**Chapter Six: A Story for River**

It was about ten days before River and Clara reached the main continent. Island hopping had been fine, but even Cal was sick of fish at this point. The route wasn’t the difficult part—Cal was a great swimmer—but sitting on a saddle for hours on end pressed up against another human wasn’t exactly comfortable. Occasionally, River and Clara would switch who was sitting in front (mostly River) but at the end of each day, they were stiff and tired. So, when they reached proper land, it had been a unanimous decision to walk on foot for a while.

For once Clara didn’t complain about it. Stretching her legs was lovely and there were more trees here than she’d ever seen in her life. River was used to the plains and forests of the southern Earth Kingdom and this place reminded her painfully of home.

“We’re on the Chin peninsula,” River said when they had stopped for a rest. “It’s west of Gaoling.”

Clara seemed nonplussed. “You realize I have no idea what that means, right?”

“It means there are mountains further north. We can climb them or go around them, but going around probably means more water.”

Clara wrinkled her nose at the thought of the ocean. “Seems like you know where we are now, at least.”

River nodded slowly. “My home was on the next peninsula over, south of Gaoling…”

“Oh. Um,” Clara wasn’t sure what to say but she could sense the River was lost in a memory. “Have you been here before?”

River put the map down, shaking her head. “No. The farthest I’ve ever been was only a few towns over. I’ve never even been to Gaoling. My father has, though, and he would always bring back fire flakes. Couldn’t get them anywhere else.”

“What’s a fire flake?”

Cal sniffed at Clara’s shoulder, whining.

“No Cal,” River chided. “She doesn’t have any for you. You’re going to have to wait until we find a bigger town then I promise I’ll share some with you.” River looked back at Clara. “They’re her favorite. Can’t say ‘fire flakes’ without finding her right behind me.”

Cal perked up at the word, looking intently at River.

“No, I still don’t have any. Sorry, girl.”

Clara chuckled and they continued on quietly. The trees grew thicker around them as they entered a more heavily forested area. Clara walked even slower than before, taking in the sights around her.

“You lived like this?”

“Well, I didn’t live  _ in  _ a forest but next to one yes. I went through it every other day to get the eelhound food.”

“It smells amazing!”

River sniffed the air, taking in the scent of fresh plants and clean air. It was quite refreshing after the overwhelming smells of salt and seaweed. “Yes, I suppose. Um, what are you doing?”

Clara had stopped and was sniffing a tree up close. “Smelling things.”

“You’re a weirdo, you know that?”

“Remember how many trees were in the south pole? This is new to me! And exciting.” She retorted. Eyeing the tree mischievously, Clara grabbed a branch and started to climb. 

“Hey!” River ran up to the trunk, but Clara was already high off the ground. “Get down here! We’ve got places to be.” 

“Have a little fun, won’t you?” Clara called down. After a minute River could hear her gasp. “Wow! It’s amazing up here! I can see everything!” 

“Great. Will you come down now?”

“I can see those mountains you were talking about! And I can see the shore from here. Oh, there are some houses over there. Think we should stay the night?”

River sighed. It was getting late and she preferred a real bed over camping any day. “I suppose we can take a look.”

There was silence.

“Clara?” River called after a moment.

The other woman slowly descended the tree, looking at her feet when she reached the ground.

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost…” River murmured. 

“There was this… scar on the hill over there.”

“A scar?”

“Like ash. The whole thing is burned up. It looks like it wasn’t an accident.”

River nodded solemnly to her understanding. “Let’s ride Cal the rest of the way. We can sleep in beds tonight, hm?”

The ride was quiet and they arrived at the town as the sun dipped below the horizon. The young night cast a soft blue over everything, bringing cool winds and the beginning of stars in the sky.

“Where is everyone?” Clara asked. “They can’t have gone to sleep already?”

River scanned the area, eyes narrowed. “They're here. I can feel them. They’re… hiding from something.”

The two of them dismounted Cal and walked towards the middle of the town. As they approached the central building, River shot her hand out and stopped Clara in her path. “Woah.”

“What? What’s wrong?”

“You’re joking right?” Right raised a brow but didn’t break eye contact with the towering creature sitting on its hind legs in front of the main house. “There’s an entire panda right there. Those things can be vicious, trust me.”

“River I don’t mean to call you crazy but there’s nothing there. Did you eat something in the forest?”

“What? No! It's right there, Clara! Look at it!”

“I’m looking. I see a house,” Clara deadpanned. She moved in front of River, walking over to the door.

“Don’t get close to it, Clara. You could get hurt!”

“There’s nothing here! Look maybe you just need to get some sleep or something. We’ve been on the road all day.”

Clara was standing right next to the panda now and River’s stomach sank to her knees. The bear slowly turned its head to look at Clara, then in a swift move, reared up on its hind legs and roared.

River covered her ears and watched in horror as the thing glowed and changed shape. It got bigger and bigger until it was taller than the surrounding trees. Its skin had changed from fur to a leathery pelt and extra limbs stuck out from its neck. Sharp teeth grinned at her and snarled. 

To some relief, Clara was now looking right at it like a deer-dog caught in the torchlight. 

“Please tell me you see it now!”

“What I’m seeing is NOT a panda!”

The creature swung a massive limb and they ducked out of the way. It hit the side of a house instead, cracking the wood. A scream from inside echoed out. 

“Someone’s in there!” River cried. She threw a punch in the air, fire exploding from her fist at the creature. “Get away! Leave these people alone!”

The thing hardly flinched at the fire but moved on to the next building. It opened a mouth of sharp teeth and screamed deafeningly. From its jaws shot out a bright light and left its target smoking and cracked. 

River shot another blast of fire, this time hitting it right in the side. It stumbled this time but didn’t seem hurt. The thing shoved its snout into the wreckage it made and pulled out a kid who couldn’t have been more than five. It looked at River, then turned and sprinted into the forest with the kid in its jaws.

“Oh no, you don’t! Cal, come!”

Cal darted up to River who jumped on her back and the two sped after the monster, leaving Clara behind.

The creature was fast but Cal managed to keep right on its tail. “Let them go!” River cried out. Earthbending would have been quite useful right about now but all she could do was throw fire—which remained ineffective. 

They ran and ran, the creature showing no signs of slowing down until suddenly it vanished right in front of River’s eyes. Cal stopped short causing River to fly out of the saddle and slam face-first into a rock.

“Fuck,” was the first thing River said when she came to. The sun was rising; she must have been unconscious all night. 

Above her loomed something large. River leaped to her feet only to realize that it was a just statue. Must have been what she ran into.

The carving was of a panda, near-identical to the one River had been last night. Confused, she read the base of the stone which read, “Hei Bai - Protector of Senlin Village.” 

River glanced around. There didn’t seem to be a village here. In fact, there wasn’t much of anything here. Behind the statue stretched a mile of nothing but ash and charred stumps of trees. River’s stomach twisted and she tried not to think about her old home. “Must have been what Clara saw yesterday….”

Turning back to the statue, she saw Cal curled up and sleeping around someone. Had they rescued that kid after all? 

“Good girl, Cal,” River hummed as she walked over to the sleeping form only to stop in her tracks.

It was her.

Cal was curled up around  _ River’s _ body protectively. Her body took a breath and River stepped closer to herself. She didn’t seem to be dead, just sleeping. 

“Okay…” River said to herself. “What the fuck.”

Cal stirred from her sleep with a yawn. She looked around, then nudged River’s body with her snout. 

“I’m right here, Cal. Look at me. I’m right here.” 

The eelhound whimpered what River recognized as a tone of sadness. She took the body in her mouth and placed it on her back over the saddle before getting up and walking back in the direction of the town.

River followed hesitantly, a lump in her throat.

When they finally reached the village it wasn’t only Clara who was waiting at the fence. Nearly all of the village stood guard and at the sight of Cal, all of them broke into excited murmurs. Only Clara stayed silent. River could see the worry in her face. 

“That’s not right!” Clara mumbled and the worry and panic in her friend's voice made cold creep up River's spine. “That’s not right. She wouldn’t stay calm, not when…” And then Clara started running, halting only when Cal made a sound of terror that forced River to her knees.

“No! No, no, no, no!” Clara said louder and by now the village was aware that something was wrong.

Cal lowered her body to the ground and Clara started to climb up but lost her grip just before she reached the saddle. She fell back down. River jumped to catch her because even now Cal was big enough that a fall could seriously injure Clara, but a villager was faster than her. 

The next minutes were filled with chatter and screams and worry and River watched how the people of the village lowered her body down to the ground. 

All of them looked worried and scared. All but one old man. He smiled. “Don’t be afraid!” he said and laid a hand over River's forehead. “The Avatar is fine, but she entered the spirit world. After all, she is the bridge between the worlds.”

“I’m what?” River gasped.

“Nobody can cross the world without obeying the laws. So the Avatar left her body behind and only her mind and soul is with the Spirits.” 

The people calmed, but River could see that Clara was not satisfied. “But how do we get her back?” 

The old man just shrugged. “I have no idea, but it’s something that the Avatar will know. So don’t worry child, she will be fine.”

“She didn’t even know she was the Avatar two months ago, let alone who her predecessors were. What does she know about the Spirit world?” Clara’s comment was rhetorical. 

River tried not to be offended, but Clara was right. She didn’t know a thing about being the Avatar and as far as spirits were concerned, she was inept. She had no idea what she could do here except being completely invisible to everyone else.

River stopped for a moment as a realization dawned on her. That monster from last night had breathed strange, powerful energy to destroy the houses. It must be a spirit—that was the only explanation. And if that were the case, it was here somewhere, wasn’t it? Maybe it still had that kid.

River turned back to look at the forest. There was a slight movement in the distant sky and River steeled herself. That must have been the monster coming back for more. “I don’t think so,” she whispered. She took a sturdy stance and swept her arms up to produce fire, but nothing happened. 

“What?” River frowned, punching the air. No fire came of it, not even a little warmth. “I can’t bend!”

The movement was growing closer, clearly some sort of creature. River ran back at Clara who was comforting Cal. “Please see me, Clara! At least hear me. It’s coming back and you have to fight! I can’t bend and I don’t know what to do. Can you hear me? Please!”

Clara showed no sign of noticing. River growled and slapped her but her hand went right through Clara’s head. 

“Ugh!” River turned back to the approaching monster but was taken as she realized it was something new. Above the trees was a horned beast twice as big as Cal. It flew and landed in front of River with ease. Its fur was almost white except for a dark arrow shape going from its head to its tail. 

“A flying bison,” River whispered in awe. “But… you’re extinct.”

The bison hummed and River shook her head. “Right. Spirit. Duh. Okay then… I don’t suppose you know how to get me back into my body?”

The bison spirit bowed its head and turned sideways. River recognized the motion as something Cal did sometimes. “You want me to ride you?” The bison made another noise. “I’ll take that as a yes. Not like I have much else to do.”

River climbed up onto the spirit’s head. There were leads tied to its horns for steering, indicating human contact. She looked back at where Clara sat. “I’ll be back soon. I hope.”

At first when they left the ground River panicked. She never flew in her life—the whole concept made her heart stutter and bile rose in the throat. But then the wind rushed around her and the bison hummed in a way that reminded her of Cal when River allowed her eelhound to just run. It was beautiful and just amazing. The air rushed around them and got colder when they rose higher. 

The forest beneath her was split by a huge scar of black. Just like Clara had said the day before. It was a clean line of a vivid green next to black and ash. This time when the bile rose, it was because River could suddenly smell burning flesh.

As if the bison noticed her emotions it rose higher into the sky and into the clouds. River squealed because clouds weren’t fluffy big bunches of cotton. No, they were made of water. Which, in retrospect, made sense. Why else would they rain?

They continued their flight and for the first time, River saw the world from a birds view. As a child, she had dreamed of flying, but the closest she ever got to it, was riding Cal at an absurd speed.

It was beautiful. 

Villages were little spots in between green and yellow patches and cities had colors dotted all over them. River grinned and pointed to the things she saw to the bison that seemed to hummed in amusement.

Their journey ended much faster than River thought was logical when rocks and mountains came into view. She didn’t notice at first, but the closer they came the more obvious the temple was. It’s structure merged with the sharp edges of the rocks. And even the carvings made it blend in more. 

“So…” River asked, “What do we do here?” 

The bison landed with a nearly silent  _ thunk _ and then opened its mouth to let out a roar. 

The sound echoed from the temple walls and for a moment there was nothing, but then there were footsteps. 

Small, but fast footsteps, like a child running. “Jaguar!” a young voice screamed and then a little girl came into view. She couldn’t have been more than five or six years old, but not the same one who was taken. 

The bison trotted over to the girl happily, pushing its nose into her as she hugged it. 

“Um…” River started, “you can see it too?”

“Of course I can!” the girl answered. 

It had only been a few hours but being acknowledged by someone finally was like a breath of fresh air. “You can see  _ me _ .”

“Of course I can,” said the girl. “Jaguar brought you here and I love everything Jaguar brings me.”

River eyed the bison who, if she didn’t know better, looked proud of himself. “Are you a spirit?” River asked quietly. Some spirits had human forms after all. 

“I’m like you,” said the girl.

River looked shocked, sliding off the bison to stand on her feet. “Your body is still waiting while you’re here in the spirit world?”

“No, silly. My body is all gone forever and I can’t go back.” The girls seemed cheerful but something cold ran through River. This girl was dead. She was so young and full of energy…full of life. 

River bit her lip, starting to really wish she could leave. “What’s your name?”

“I’m Melody. My mummy said she named me that cos, um, I forget actually.”

“Hi, Melody,” River breathed, coming closer. “I’m River. And I think I’m quite lost.”

“You can’t be lost, silly,” Melody chirped. “Jaguar brought you here so you’re not lost.”

“Right. Um… where is here, exactly?”

“The eastern air temple. Mummy and daddy and me lived here with the others and they would let me play with them even though I’m not good at the air scooter and they’d make me pies and it was so fun!” Melody said all this in one go and if she’d had breath she would have run out.

River didn’t have much experience with children other than herself, but she understood most of it. “You’re an airbender?” There hadn’t been air benders for at least fifty years. River’s grandfather had been one and he had been captured before her mother had even been born. How long ago had Melody lived?

“I’m an everything bender,” said Melody as a matter of factly. 

“You’re what?”

“I’m an  _ everything _ bender,” she repeated. “I can bend everything.”

River swallowed. “You are…  _ were _ the avatar.”

“I think so,” said the girl with intense thought. “Someone told me I was that but I always forget the word. Aah...vuh...tar. Avatar. Yeah, that’s it. That’s what I am. You are too. See, you’re like me!”

It would have been adorable if the whole thing wasn’t so heartbreaking. River smiled a tight smile and sat down next to Melody, so she could look her in the eyes.

“Tell me, sweetie” Melody perked up at the endearment, smiling even brighter. Like she hadn’t heard a word like this in a long time. River almost sobbed. “Why did Jaguar bring me here? Do you know that?” 

The little Avatar was silent for a long moment. She frowned and her forehead creased. It was adorable and River tried not to burst into tears and laughter.

“They want me to tell you a story that my daddy told me.” 

River blinked once then twice and then decided she would ask. “They? Who are they?” 

Melody turned and smiled sadly. “The other us.” 

It took River a moment, but when she got it, it confused River even more. “The other Avatar? They are in the spirit world too? Why wouldn’t  _ they _ talk to me?” 

Melody looked like a beaten eel hound puppy and River regretted her words immediately. 

“Not that I don’t like your company, but…” Aw, fuck, that was why River stayed away from children! “Or at least why are you here alone?” 

Melody shrugged. “They say I’m the best storyteller.” 

It hit River then. Most of the other Avatars died of old age or at least  _ older _ . Melody was probably the youngest Avatar in the spirit world. Who would leave this sweet girl alone, even if she was dead? 

“I’m going to have a talk with the other me’s.” River grumbled but smiled at Melody. “Well, then tell me your story!”

“Well…” Melody hesitated, looking unsure and scared. So River leaned back against Jaguars soft fur, stretched her legs, and waved Melody closer. The little girl curled into River lap and pressed her head against River's chest.

“My daddy told me the story. He was really good at it.” Melody smiled up at River, her eyes huge like a puppy’s. “It’s about a star that was bored in its place in the sky, so it started to travel. It traveled far and saw many things, but because it never traveled before it ran in circles.

It came by our world and the star came very close. So close that a very powerful firebender thought it would fall onto his house.” Melody looked up at River once again this time she grinned. “He had just rebuilt his house after it was destroyed by wild eelhounds and a storm before that.” 

River felt herself grinning back and then she nudged Melody to go on. 

“Well, so, um, the firebender was afraid and so he shot a fireball at the star. But a star is a star and they are really powerful, because they are stars and they have to—“ Surprisingly Melody stopped to take a breath. Breathing was a hard habit to break.

“Because they are far away and we still can see them. Anyway… so the star was powerful and when the firebender shot a fireball at it, it burst into flames. But those flames weren’t just flames anymore. They were magical flames.” 

Something made River's stomach drop.  _ Magical flames  _ and a  _ star _ ?

“And every firebender felt the magic of the star because the star could travel even faster now and it said thank you to the firebender for that.”

For a moment neither of them said a word and River was about to say something, but Melody was faster.

“One of the Avatars…the one who lived before me. Told me that the star returns every hundred years to look after the ancestors of the firebender who made it faster. It even named itself after him: “Sozin's star.””

River stopped breathing—not that breathing was something she did without her body. She had learned about Sozin; He was the Fire Lord who had started the war. He was…

“Sozin’s Comet,” River whispered and her arms tightened around Melody, trying in vain to protect this precious little girl. “You’re talking about Sozin’s comet.”

“No, silly, it's Sozin’s  _ star _ .” River didn’t have the heart to argue about the name before Melody added, “And it’s coming to visit you like it visited me.”

There was no blood in this metaphysical plane, but River swore she could feel her blood freeze in her veins. “What?”

“It’s been a hundred years so it’s gonna come and check on the firebenders like I said. But you gotta be careful because when it comes close it likes to give  _ thank you _ \- gifts to all the firebenders and then they get extra fire.”

“I know…” River whispered. “Melody, what do you mean is visited you?”

Melody didn’t answer the question. “Mr. Avatar man told me to tell you that we have to be really careful because the firebenders aren’t nice anymore.”

River was stunned into silence. What had happened to this girl and why couldn’t this past Avatar face her himself? They had no business sending a little girl to do the dirty work, even if she had been the Avatar once. 

Jaguar shifted behind them, flapping his tail. 

“Oh,” Melody sounded disappointed. “Jaguar says you have to go back now.”

River wasn’t sure she wanted to leave Melody all alone here, but she couldn’t deny the strange pull calling her homeward. “It was very lovely to meet you, Melody. Thank you for telling me that story.”

“You’re welcome!” She smiled back but it didn’t quite manage to reach her eyes. “Um, will you come back?”

“Yes. I will,” River promised. She didn’t know when or how, but she would. “I promise.”

“Pinky promised me, then.” She stuck out her hand with her little finger extended. 

River did the same and linked their fingers. “Pinky promise.”

Melody smiled a little more genuinely and then looked alert for a moment. “Oh, I forgot to say that it’s coming in a few months. On the Day of the Fire Nation celebrations. You know, when every firebender celebrates its nation's pride.”

River nodded and bowed to Melody. “Thank you.”

She then climbed back onto Jaguar and was about to fly, when Melody spoke up one last time.

“Oh and River?” Melody had one of her hands twisted into Jaguar's fur, like she wanted to keep River with her. “The panda spirit. It’s sad, that's why it’s changing its form and attacks the village. It's so angry and sad because it’s home is gone and it’s friends, the animals are hurt. It doesn’t mean to hurt anyone. It just doesn’t know how to ask for help.”

River smiled even brighter at Melody and nodded. “Thank you Melody. I’ll help the spirit and then I’ll tell the village that Avatar Melody helped me, help them. I think they will love that.” 

Melody beamed at her and let go of Jaguar’s fur. “Be back soon Jaguar, yes?” 

The Bison nodded and its huge tongue bathed Melody in a wet kiss. The girl giggled and it was the last thing River heard before she rose into the air.

River returned just before nightfall and this time, Jaguar didn’t stop as he approached the village. Or at least not in enough distance. Instead, the bison stopped abruptly just a few meters before River body, and River was thrown out of the saddle.

She woke with a start to a lot of villagers jumping backward and Clara nearly choking her as she hugged River. 

“Hey, I’m good and I’m back and I know what to do…so…can you let me go?”

“Not for another few hours,” Clara insisted but loosened her grip non the less. “I thought you were going to get stuck in there forever.”

“Well, I had some help. Tell you about it later?”

Clara nodded. “Is that where all the townspeople get taken to when they disappear? The spirit world?”

“I think so,” River nodded. 

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see a big but bright shape flying away.

She got to her feet, realizing there was something in her hand. She looked down to see she was holding an acorn. “What’s this?”

“Oh, one of the villagers said it was a good luck thing so they gave it to you while you were gone.”

River stared at the nut for a long moment until a beast-like cry came from outside. “Stay here,” she told everyone. “I think I can fix this now.”

As River stepped outside she came face to face with the monster that had torn this village apart. Except this thing wasn’t a monster, was it? It was upset and scared and, “You lived in that part of the forest, didn’t you? That bit that’s all burned and gone. You were supposed to be the protector, weren’t you? You’re Hei Bai.”

The spirit growled but didn’t seem like it was going to spit that spirit energy at her. River felt different, and not just because she’d left her body for a day. There was an understanding within her that all this lashing out wasn’t the whole story. 

“I know what it’s like to lose your home,” she said carefully. “My home was burned down too and it was all my fault. I’m the avatar and I couldn’t protect anyone. It’s all gone now.” She looked the spirit in what might have been eyes. “I was scared. And I probably could have tried to save someone but instead, I ran.” 

There was no point in pretending it didn’t happen. There was no point in blaming it on herself anymore, though part of her always would. The fact was: there was no changing the past. 

“But that moment in time, as hard as it was and always will be, is just that. It was a  _ moment _ and though you carry it with you, it is  _ over _ .” She held the acorn out to the spirit and took a breath. She thought of Melody and her big smile. Only now she realized that Melody had been missing a front tooth. River thought of her village and she held up the acorn higher. “It’s going to be back. It will be different. A new forest, maybe even a strange forest, but it will be back, I promise you.” She thought of her village and how nobody would be back. People didn’t grow back, they were lost, but at least River could help here. “All you have to do is make sure that there will be time to let the forest grow back.”

River turned and looked at the villagers. “And I think they will help you if you will let them.” 

The spirit took a step in River’s direction and then it gently grabbed the acorn from her palm. 

“They will help you if you will let them. I promise.”

The spirit changed and the panda was back, somehow River knew it was smiling at her and she smiled back. When the panda turned and padded away, bamboo grew in its wake. The bamboo shifted and people exited the little magical forest. 

River nearly collapsed when the kid was the first to return. Behind River the mother screamed her child’s name. It was a girl, with two pigtails, just like Melody’s.

That night River went to bed, with Cal curled around her protectively and for the first time, it didn’t feel like something was choking her. It was strange and warm and she had missed it oh so much. She thought about the little girl in the air temple and though  _ I'm sorry you’re alone. Come play with me, sweetie, you don’t have to be alone anymore. _

In the morning she woke with a smile and the feeling of the warm hug of little arms around her middle. She also would swear that she could hear the giggle of a child, even after waking.

She did so every night after that.


	7. Caan the Seer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Does your eel hound have a problem with platypus bears?” 
> 
> River’s grin turned rather feral. “Let’s just say Cal doesn’t forget the people who take her food.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> world building time

**Chapter Seven: Caan the Seer**

It had been ten days since meeting Melody. Clara had so many questions when River first told her what had happened. The entire world thought the avatar cycle had stopped during the early war with Valeyard—that’s what the last avatar had called himself, and no one really remembered what his name had been. The Valeyard had been of the Fire Nation but no one knew what happened to him. The next avatar should have been from the Earth Kingdom, but after decades of searching, no new avatar was known. 

“But it couldn’t have been Melody,” River said when Clara first pointed it out. “She lived in the air temples. She would have been the Air Avatar, right?”

“Well… no. I mean yes technically, but it’s not always so simple. The cycle is complicated. I mean, not really, but kind of yes.”

“Clara, would it kill you to make complete sentences?”

“Look, the last known avatar was fire, right? We know that. So the next one would be earth. Then air, then water.”

“So there’s three avatars between him and me? An earth, air, and water one?”

“No. There’s only two… I think. I mean, that’s the only thing that makes sense.”

“What? There can’t be! That would make me the Water Avatar and I’m from the Fire Nation.”

“It’s been seventy years. Ish. That’s not enough time for three avatars. It’s hardly enough for two, but Melody being so…  _ young _ , made that happen.”

“No hang on. Rewind,” River insisted, rubbing her temples. “How can I be the water avatar?”

“You were born in the water tribe,” Clara answered matter of factly. “Raised in the Fire Nation, yeah, but still from the South Pole.”

River was silent for a moment. “So… one of Melody’s parents was an Earth bender?”

Clara shrugged. “Probably.”

The two of them had spent most of the last few days trying to unravel all of this new information. At least it gave them something to do on the long journey northward. 

And so it was that on the tenth day after the events, they were for the first time rather silent as they walked. It was still early in the day, but River could tell that both Cal and Clara could use another break—and not just one that lasted thirty minutes. 

“According to the map, there’s a place called Makapuu Village not too far from here. Not too big, but they might have something better than bush berries. Think we could get an early lunch?”

Clara seemed keen on the idea and agreed.

They made it about twenty meters to a small river when they tumbled into a scene that topped almost everything they had seen so far. 

There was a man calmly dodging the angry swipes of a platypus bear. 

“What the fuck?” River whispered and continued staring at the scene. Clara next to her just gaped. 

“Oh hello, dears,” The man said, waving at them and smiling, still dodging the paws of the bear. “Isn’t it a beautiful day for a walk?”

River blinked once then twice and then nodded. “Oh yes, it is. Tell me is this your tamed platypus bear?” The man, for the first time, looked at the beast.

Clara glared at River. “Realy? A tamed platypus bear, River did you drink some cactus or?” 

River just rolled their eyes. “Believe me Clara there are stranger things to be tamed. I mean have you ever thought about the fact that someone walked up to a dragon and tamed it?”

That shut her friend up.

“Oh no, I just met him today!” 

Both of them turned back to the man and the bear. “Ah” River mumbled. “Would you like us to help you? I’m sure my friend Cal here,” River pointed at Cal who was growling at the bear. “Would love to help you.”

Clara turned her head in a steady motion from River to the man to Cal. 

“Does your eel hound have a problem with platypus bears?” 

River’s grin turned rather feral. “Let’s just say Cal doesn’t forget the people who take her food.”

Clara just shrugged and turned to the man. “So, do you need help?” 

Cal decided at that moment that she wouldn’t stand the bear any longer that close to her and took a leap over River and Clara. A second later she stood on her behind legs growling and barking at the bear.

The beast stopped its attacks on the man and for a moment just stared at Cal, then it turned pale (or as pale as a platypus bear could get, anyways.)

“Is that an egg?” Clara asked, but Cal already curled around her price as the bear made a run for it.

River just snorted. “If you don’t mind me asking, you didn’t seem to be afraid of that thing. Why?”

The stranger smiled like he knew something they didn’t. “Why should I be?”

“Uh, cos that thing could have taken your head off!” Clara scoffed. 

“But it didn’t. Caan said no harm would come to me on my journey and none did.”

“Would have if Cal wasn’t here to scare it off,” River muttered. Louder she said, “Who’s Caan?” 

“Caan is the fortune teller from my village, Makapuu.”

Clara and River exchanged a look. “...We were just heading there ourselves for something to eat..”

“Ah, wonderful!” said the man. “I shall be happy to escort you the rest of the way. It is not far.”

The pair shrugged and agreed, following the man. It was a quiet walk but River and Clara were thinking the same thing: how did this fortune teller know? 

“Do you believe him?” River whispered as they walked. “That there’s really a fortune-teller?”

“Sure I do.”

“Why?”

“Well, as you said, there are stranger things,” Clara explained. “We just found out that the avatar cycle isn’t clear cut and somehow an air nation girl was the avatar of the Earth Kingdom despite never being there. You literally left your body and met a ghost. I don’t think fortune-telling is so far fetched.”

“Fair point,” River admitted. 

When they arrived in the town, the man took them straight to one of the houses where people were waiting with welcoming smiles. “Welcome!” said one of their greeters, “Great Avatar River and Master Clara!”

“Master?” Clara scoffed. “I could get used to that.”

River looked uneasy. “Um, how do you know us?”

“Caan has been expecting you,” said the strangers in unison. It only made River swallow. 

After a moment of convincing Cal to wait outside, River and Clara found themselves waiting inside with bean curd puffs to snack on. The wooden room they were in had a fire pit in the middle with low flames. Clara was hogging the bowl, but River didn’t mind all that much. Something about this place made her stomach turn. 

“Clara… don’t you think this is kind of creepy?”

“Nah,” Clara dismissed. “Fortune teller, River. They see the future, of course they predicted us coming.”

“Right.” River swallowed. “Honestly, that doesn’t make me feel better.”

Clara just rolled her eyes and took another bite. “It’s not like anything bad could happen.” 

River stopped the nervous tapping of her finger and stared ahead at the door. “I hate you!” she hissed.

“Huh?” Clara asked around a mouth full of food.

“You had to jinx us right?” River sighed. “Why do I have the feeling that we’ll not have the pleasure to simply meet the Prince again?”

At that moment the door to the main room opened and a hunched over figure appeared in the doorway.

Behind them, the fire seemed to shine brighter and its flames almost licked the ceiling. The sudden burst of flames also made it almost impossible to see the face of the person in front of them.

A moment later River wished she couldn’t see. 

In front of them was an old man, hunched over and clearly favoring one of his legs. His arms were wrapped in clean white bandages that smelled of hypericum perforatum and aloe; herbs that River knew helped against burn wounds.

His face was the worst. Thick pinkish scars crisscrossed all over his bald head and his face. His nose was almost nonexistent. His left ear shriveled to a little stump and one eye permanently swollen closed. 

The other eye, a starling blue, was fixated on River.

_ Nope! _ Was the only thing River could think.  _ Nope, I’m out! Give me ghosts and fire princes all day, but I draw the line here! _

“Avatar River,” the man said and his voice sent shivers down River's spine.

_ Melody help me! _

“It is nice to finally meet you.”

“Ok,” Clara’s voice barely reached Rivers' ears. “I think I get the ‘creepy’ you were talking about!”  _ That didn’t help! _

Where River expected the glare of the old man she saw an expression closer to empathy. “Do not be afraid, young Master Clara,” he said. “Many are alarmed by my appearance at first.”

Clara’s cheeks grew red. “Er, sorry. I didn’t mean…”

He raised a hand and Clara fell silent. He finally sat down in front of them. It was subtle, but River could see relief at being able to sit. Was he in pain?

“I do not regret what happened to me.” He spoke with a gravity that seemed well-practiced. “Fire benders may have ruined my body, but allowed me to receive the Gift. For after I awoke from my injuries, I was blessed with the Sight.”

The explanation put Clara at ease, but River was only growing tenser. “You’re Caan, yes?”

Caan nodded.

River squared her jaw. Surely if Caan could see the future, then he knew that the theatrics of this meeting wasn’t comforting. “Why did you want to see us?” River finally said.

“I didn’t. It is you who wished to see me,” Caan spoke levely. 

River glared. She was fairly sure that she didn’t need to see Caan ever again and frankly wouldn’t mind leaving right this moment.

“Why do you keep calling me Master?” Clara asked. 

“That is what you are training for, is it not? Your success is inevitable, young master.”

Clara looked quite pleased. River coughed. “Well… this has all been lovely, but we just came to get lunch and be on our way. So if you don’t mind.” River stood abruptly. “I’ll be outside.”

Caan said nothing as River made a swift exit and found Cal outside. She sat down next to the hound trying to catch her breath. Everything about this felt all wrong. Why didn’t Clara feel it? This poor man was delusional after some horrible fire nation attack and suddenly she was supposed to learn her fate from him? No. Absolutely not. He had nothing to do with her.

“Clara had better hurry up,” River muttered.

After an hour, Clara found River sharing some fire flakes with Cal.

“So…” River tried her hardest to sound nonchalant. “What crap did the old man tell you?” 

Clara just grinned stupidly. “I’ll be one of the greatest benders in many generations and I’ll find love even though I’ll fight it at first.”

River snorted. She was pretty sure that Ashildr had fought Clara rather intensely. Or snogged her for that fact.

Still, River refused to say anything. 

“Some of the people offered us shelter for the night. Apparently, there are some empty houses we can stay inovernight.”

River already had checked out the house in question and found it big enough for Cal to cuddle into.

Clara just hummed and walked away. River just sighed and followed her friend. All she could do was hope that Clara would snap out of her stupor rather quickly and maybe they could leave early in the morning. 

The rest of the day continued peacefully, or as peacefully as a day could get with a positively crazy man watching over them. 

River permanently had the feeling of somebody’s eyes on her and it was driving her nuts.

Really she wished for John to show up… _ wait, when did she start calling him John? _

River sighed for the hundredth time that day and decided to just take a walk and relax. Maybe she would finally get some peace.

It didn’t last. 

To leave the village she had to pass Caan’s house and just as she passed the door, the old man appeared in the doorway. “Avatar River,” he said with his strangely cracking voice. “Just ten minutes, please.”

She would have said no, but the people around her looked at her with hope as big smiles and she just knew that if she would decline him, the whole town would become rather hostile. 

So she sighed,  _ again, _ and stomped up the stairs. There was no need to fake enthusiasm, they both knew she didn’t want to be there.

Caan sat them down in the sat room as before, the glowing fire pit in the middle between them.

River said nothing. Neither did Caan for minutes until, “Why are you repulsed by this?”

“I’m not,” she said too quickly. 

Caan sighed, which surprised River a little. “I know this…  _ experience _ may be bringing up some painful memories of your home.”

“What do you know about that?!” River snapped. Caan didn’t flinch which was irritating as hell. This man had no right to waltz her in here and bring up her past. The mere attempt had the flames of the fire rising with River’s anger. 

“There is no need for defensiveness,” Caan said. 

“I’m not defensive,” said River defensively. 

Caan didn’t argue. “River, I mention the past because it affects your future.”

River tried to keep herself from growling. She could feel every muscle in her back tense up at each word Caan spoke. She didn’t ask him to see her future. She didn’t want him too! And maybe that fire had blinded him if he couldn’t see how uncomfortable she was.

Caan produced something from his sleeve which River could see was a little bone. She flinched because it was so small. It reminded her of Melody’s little fingers. Hardly moving, he threw it into the fire. The fire hissed, and died down, leaving them in pitch darkness. Then suddenly it roared to life, bursting out of the pit and scorching everything. 

The flames were blue. Bright, harsh lightning blue.

River cried out in surprise and fell back, shielding her face. Voices seemed to erupt from the fire and most of them were screams. River put her hands over her ears, squeezing her eyes shut. “Stop it!” She shouted. 

As if by command, the fire returned to its containment of the pit. River was breathing hard, her body shaking. 

When she looked up, Caan looked angrier than before. “Avatar, you have a responsibility to the world and it is your destiny to end this war.”

“No!” She slammed her fist on the floor causing a few embers to jump. “I don’t owe anything to anyone! I didn’t ask for this!”

“The world did not ask to be in chaos but it is. Just as the avatar spirit has chosen you, this is how it must be.”

River growled. “Chosen me?” She barked and balled her hands into fists. “CHOSEN ME?!” This time the flames burned almost golden. “I wasn’t chosen. I am cursed with this. I am burned with the knowledge that this war killed so many people. I killed innocent people. I killed children!” 

Caan just stared at her, almost unreadable, but River saw the glimmer of fear in his eyes.

“You say this is how it must be. Do you really mean it? Because if you do you are telling me that this also means that the death of a child was supposed to be. You are telling me that the life of an innocent child was deliberately blown out because I was meant to be here today. My life is not worth more than hers was!” 

The golden flames enveloped River’s fists and now the fear in Caans eyes was clearly visible. 

“If this is what it is supposed to be then you are no better than the fire nation. Then you accept the death of thousands of people because _it is supposed_ _to be_. If this is what you are willing to do, then you are nothing but a coward, who doesn’t deserve his gift. Let me tell you something I learned from one of my predecessors. No matter what you do, you don’t just stay where you are. You keep fighting, even if you’re lonely, even if you are afraid.”

River opened her fists and this time she could see Caan flinch. She turned and left the house before her anger could bring her to do something stupid.

Cal was outside of the building and River just swung herself into the saddle. “Run girl!” She whispered and closed her eyes. It almost felt like flying.

Clara was waiting anxiously when River returned. The sun had set hours ago and the village was asleep. 

Clara leaped to her feet as River came through the door looking exhausted. She stared and frowned. “What’s going on, River? Where have you been?”

River silently moved to the cold bowl of food Clara had saved for her and ate without speaking. Clara hesitantly sat back down, looking between River and Cal, the later of whose tail was still sticking out the front door. 

Minutes went by and River finished the cold food quickly. She didn’t look at Clara. “Saw Caan today.”

“Oh. Um, how did that go?”

A number of expressions went through River’s face, eventually landing on a pained expression that she buried in her hands. 

Slowly, River told Clara about the whole encounter. By the end of it, River could feel tears in her eyes. She wasn’t sad, just so  _ angry _ with the universe for everything.

Clara took a moment before speaking up. “River… you know he doesn't write time, he just reads it.”

River deflated slightly. “I know… I was thinking about that when I was out. Is it stupid of me to blame him, though?”

Clara shrugged. “That doesn’t really seem like the issue here. River, do you not want to be the avatar?”

She shook her head slowly. “I don’t want any of this. I don’t want my village burned to the ground. I don’t want my family and friends dead. I don’t want fire nation soldiers terrorizing your village, and I don’t want some crazed fortune teller telling me that it’s all part of the big picture!” 

Clara bit her lip. What was there to say to that? Neither of them could change the past and almost certainly there were more, maybe even worse hardships waiting for them to come.

“Maybe you’re thinking about this all wrong.”

River glared across the table but didn’t say anything. She’d spent the whole day stuck in this feeling and was even willing to listen to Clara for advice.

“So you’ve got some big avatar destiny thing going on. And Caan says it's unavoidable, right? It’s going to happen no matter what.”

“Not helpful,” River hissed. 

“River, I mean that some future version of you is saving the world and stopping the war. And she IS you… so something must have changed her mind about it.”

River blinked.

“Look, no one is saying that you have to go wipe out a whole army tomorrow.”

“Well there’s not exactly an unlimited amount of time,” River reminded her. “The Commit?”

“Okay, yeah. There’s that. But that’s still a while away. You have it in your head that now,  _ right now _ , you have to be some fully capable, world-loving, people saving avatar. But, that’s not how it is. You don’t have to be that. You _ aren't  _ that.”

“But I’ll have to be eventually.”

“Yeah but eventually is eventually. And until then you’re not. You’re who you are now. And tomorrow you’ll be someone different. And the next day, too. River there are so many different people you will be before you have to be what the world is asking of you and all those versions? You’ll get to be there on your own terms.”

River took a breath, staring at the table. “That’s… actually really wise of you.”

Clara smirked. “Take it from a master.”

“And you’ve ruined it.”

Clara rolled her eyes. “You’d better get some sleep.”

River nodded slowly. “Um, Clara? Thank you. For what you said.”

Clara just grinned and patted River shoulder. “No problem!” 

If River had hoped for a peaceful night of sleep then she really shouldn’t hope any longer. The first part of her night was like always: Jaguar appeared in her dreams and brought Melody with her. The little girl laughed and played with River mostly in the forest, but at one her dream changed.

They were flying because that's what they do. Jaguar always took them flying and Melody told her about the things her parents told her for a moment River considered asking about Melody's parents. Or why she was an air nomad, if she should be an earthbender, but River pushed the question aside.

“What is that?” Melody asked and River rolled onto her belly to look down at the thing Melody pointed out. They were high, so high that Makapuu village looked like a small dott. The mountain on the other hand…

“A volcano.” River whispered something cold settled in her limbs. “An active volcano.” 

An active volcano that looked ready to burst. Oh, that wasn’t good. 

“Melody… I have to go.” 

The little girl immediately went for a hug. “But we only had so little time!” 

River smiled. “Yes, but I have to save a village, dear and…” River stopped. “Do you want to help me?” 

She asked and Melody visibly brightened. “Yes!” 

River smiled and took Melody's hands. “Just keep holding my hand, okay?” 

She never got to hear the answer, she woke before Melody's could say something. 

It was still dark outside, but River could feel the fire of the volcano raging. Now that she was aware of it, the buzz of the flames was almost unbearable. “Fuck!” 

Waking Clara was almost impossible, but somehow River managed. By the time they left their house River could see the faint hue of orange over the mountain crown. Clara cursed next to her. “We need to wake the village.”

They managed to do so and River explained to them about the danger of the volcano and the fact that it would erupt at any moment. 

“But Caan told us that we wouldn’t be harmed by the volcano this year.” 

That brought River up short. “WHAT?” 

Some other townfolks spoke up. “In the cloud reading. Caan tells us the future of the village by reading the clouds. We won't be harmed this year.” 

River was about to rip out her hair. “So instead of looking at the fucking clues that nature gives you, you blindly trust the word of an old half-blind man?”

Most of the people just shrugged. River wanted to scream. Even Clara looked appalled. 

_ I’m still with you River. _ A soft voice echoed in Rivers' head and she closed her eyes for a moment.

Melody stood next to her. Her small hand in Rivers, smiling up at her. “Let me help you River!” She begged and River sighed. 

“But how?” 

“River?!” She turned her head and looked at Clara, who stared at her like she had grown a second head. All of the people around her looked at her like that.

_ I’m with you now, River. _ A voice in River’s head said. 

It almost sounded like Melody, but at the same time, it sounded older. As if there was another voice.

But River understood. She had allowed another Avatar into her mind. River smiled.

“You don’t believe me? Believe the spirits of the other Avatars.” River shouted and then a roar cut through the tense silence. The townspeople screamed and even Clara leaped back several steps. 

Jaguar’s ghostly form had appeared above River. “Even the spirit of a sky god returns tonight. The volcano will erupt tonight and if you don’t do something now, the whole village will…”

River was interrupted by the ground shaking and a deafening crash. When she whirled around to see a giant boulder that hadn’t been there before. Rocks and ash were raining from the sky. It was too late. 

She turned back to the crowd. “If any of you are earth benders, I need you to make a trench, now. Non-benders, get somewhere safe.” 

People started running around, doing as they were told. Clara ran up to River. “I’m no earth bender but I’m pretty sure water would be good right now.”

“Yes, go back to that river and bring as much back as you can. We’ll need a lot.”

Clara ran off to do so and River looked back up the hill. The night was moonless but the light of the impending lava glowed bright enough to light the hillside. Another sudden jolt of the ground and suddenly red hot magma was coming towards them. It wasn’t very fast, but it was gaining speed with each second. 

_ “Melody,”  _ River spoke with her mind, trying to keep her breathing steady, “ _ I’m not the Avatar yet. I don’t think I have any power to stop this.” _

“You have all the power in the world.” The voice wasn’t Melody’s—deep and old. River looked to her side to see a tall spirit standing next to her in green robes and white face paint. 

“...Kyoshi?”

Avatar Kyoshi smiled at River. She looked more masculine than her statues back on the island, but it was still unmistakably her. “You aren’t mixing very well with being the Avatar.”

River snorted. “You don’t need to tell me that. There is literal lava coming towards this town right now and I don’t know a lick of earth bending.”

“She does!” Melody peered her head around from the other side of Kyoshi. “That’s why I called her. And Jaguar helped.” 

River smiled weakly. “Thank you, Melody. Not to rush, but how does this work?”

Kyoshi looked amused. “In the South Pole, you summoned a great power. Do you remember?” 

“Yes.” She swallowed. River hadn’t spoken about the incident in any detail, not even with Clara. “By accident.” 

“That power is called the Avatar state and it is one of the gifts of our spirit. You will learn to control it with time, but for now, you have us.”

River shifted her weight uneasily. It didn’t feel like much of a gift to her. Everyone had been so afraid of her, even after she’d stopped. And they had every right to be. River remembered that power running through her. She could have,  _ would _ have killed that day if she hadn’t stopped when she did. Despite her dislike for this town, they didn’t deserve any of that.

“But what if I—” River started but Kyoshi had already reached up to touch River’s head and suddenly everything went black.

-x-

There was a small fire next to her and River realized slowly she was back in Caan’s house of fortune. Someone pressed a cold, damp cloth to her forehead and River looked over to see Clara. Early morning light silhouetted her from the back.

“Hey,” said Clara. 

“Hey.” River croaked. She wasn’t sore, but pure exhaustion ran through her and she could hardly move. “What happened?”

“You did that glowy eye thing again and stopped the volcano. It was quite a show, really. But I think you breathed in too many fumes or something cos you passed out.”

River took a slow breath, focusing on letting her chest expand. “The town…”

“No one’s hurt. Everything's fine,” Clara smiled. “You did it.” She offered River some water and helped her sit up.

River sipped gratefully. After a moment of gathering strength, she spoke again, “I don’t think it was me, actually. I don’t remember any of it. I was speaking with Avatar Kyoshi and… I think she may have taken over my body.”

“Oh,” Clara sounded a little disappointed. “I thought you had suddenly figured out all the elements.” 

River nearly spat out her water. “All the elements??”

“Yeah! It was crazy. You were moving earth and using air bending to cool the lava and you made it snow for a minute. Shame you can’t remember. It was pretty cool.”

River stared at her hands. She had air bent? Earth bent? It seemed impossible, but she believed Clara. She was quiet for a moment. “Clara, why don’t you get Cal ready. I’ll meet you at the house and we can get moving.”

“Alright,” Clara agreed and left. 

The soft crackle of the fire was the only sound in the room until, “Caan, you can stop being creepy now.”

Caan stepped out from the shadows and faced River calmly. “I didn’t want to interrupt.” 

River sighed. “Look… I’m sorry about last night and what I said. I can’t imagine being in your position—knowing someone is going to die and not being allowed to change it.”

“It took a lot of getting used to,” Caan acknowledged, sitting by the fire as he always did. “But it is never a pleasant vision. I will tell you a secret, Avatar River. Not everything I see is absolute.”

“What do you mean?”

“Time is… complicated. It is like a grand river. It flows always towards its destination, but underneath the surface, there is so much turbulence. Stones, divots, side streams… all subtly affecting the flow. I knew the village would not be destroyed this year, but that did not mean our volcano did not erupt. It was not the absence of danger but the reality of a helpful hand in the right place at the right time.”

River took another slow sip of her water. “So things aren’t always as they seem.”

“That’s right, avatar. I know that one day you will face a great battle. I know one day you will have control of your powers, but I do not know who teaches you. I do not know if you will win or lose your life. I know there is great love in your future but I do not know if you will meet in ten years, or if you have already met.”

“I doubt we’ve already met,” River huffed. 

Caan smiled weakly and River realized it was the first time she’d seen him do so. “Listen to me, avatar. I must speak to you about what is to come at the North Pole.”

River sat up a little straighter, for once willing to listen to the prediction.

When they left the town, River turned around one last time to look back. Caan stood in the middle of the townsfolk. His eyes dark with knowing ahead River heard his words in her head. It wasn’t a pleasant prophecy and she didn’t understand half of it, but River trusted the man a bit more than she had before. He too was only human and maybe he really did have a connection to the spirit world. After all who was River to judge at this point.

It would take River three days until she would notice the necklace her mother had given her. The one made of a soft blue string with a moon spirit charm was missing.

It wasn’t lost. In fact, it was already found.


	8. The Pirates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> River stopped cold and stared at a figure that had stepped out of the shadows.
> 
> He was a short bald man with strange leathery skin and a blue uniform-like outfit. The sword at his side was short, but even Clara could see that it was sharpened to kill.
> 
> “How can the Sontaran Empire help you today?” His voice was too calm and way too emotionless, even Clara yerked back.

**Chapter Eight: The Pirates**

“MY NECKLACE!” 

Clara and Cal snapped up from their dosing, to see River frantically going through the backpacks and throwing things out of the bags.

“River?” Clara blinked against the sunrise and watched as River turned from the bag with clothing to the bag with their food, ready to throw things.

“No!” Clara jumped to her feet and was by River’s side in two fast steps. Out of the corner of her eye she could see the fire they had made last night bursting back to life. “What the hell is going on?” Clara finally managed to get the food out of Rivers hands, which made the Avatar gowl in frustration. 

“My necklace, I can’t find my necklace!” 

River’s voice was high and panicked but Clara just stared at her. “Why is this so important, I mean it’s just a necklace you got back in the fire nation.”

River froze and just stared at Clara, unblinking and unmoving. After a few seconds Clara started to shift uneasily on her feet. “What? WHAT? What did I do?!” 

River just continued starring. It occurred to her that she had never shown Clara the necklace or even explained the meaning to her friend.

“Clara,” River whispered and she could hear the voice quiver. Her vision got misty, but River did her best to ignore the tear filling her eyes. “The necklace wasn’t from the colonies,” she managed to say. “It was a blue ribbon with the black moon spirit. My mum… _Tabetha_ gave it to me.”

Clara’s eyes doubled in size and, for a very short moment, River felt some kind of amused fascination about it, then she remembered what she lost all over again and a hot lump formed in her throat. 

“Fuck”, Clara whispered.

“It’s not like we stop looking for it, but River… we’ve got to move on.” 

River tried her best to ignore Clara. They had searched their camp for almost an hour, turned every bad inside out and back in again. It was time for River to face the harsh reality: Her necklace wasn’t there and it probably had been lost for more than just the night.

With a voice as hard as steel, River had packed up their camp, ordered Clara to mount Cal, and turned them back around to the last village they had visited. It was a small port village and mostly about trading, still, maybe she would find her necklace there.

“Maybe somebody sold it.” River snarled.

“Sold? But wouldn’t that mean it was stolen? Who says it was stolen?” 

River turned her head and smiled dangerously in the way she knew gave Clara goosebumps. “If they’re trying to get a pretty penny, I’ll pay them a good amount of my fists and fire.”

“Or we lost it on the road somewhere,” Clara squeaked. 

“I don’t _just lose_ things, Clara. If it’s gone then it’s somewhere and we’re going to find it.”

The port town wasn’t exactly big, but the streets were crowded with trade and sales. Most people parted quickly, though, once they saw the giant eelhound with a furious looking rider.

Clara deflated as they walked through the streets of the small town. “Okay... I get that it was important but it could literally be anywhere. Are we really putting our entire mission on pause until we find it?”

River stopped Cal so suddenly that Clara lurched face first into her back. 

“Yes,” said River coldly as she dismounted. She’d parked them by one of the docks where her eyes were locked on a strange ship sticking out like a sore thumb. “We are.”

“I don’t have a good feeling about this.” Clara followed meekly as River led them right up the ramp and into the ship. 

“Sh,” River hissed. 

Inside the ship were things even more strange than the outside. It clearly belonged to some sort of merchant and a very worldly one at that. Bits and bobs from all over the world lined the counters and shelves, each with little price tags listed on paper.

“River….” Clara whispered. She didn’t know why she was whispering, but it felt better than her normal volume. “What are we going here? Even if it’s here—and I’m not saying it is—we don’t have the money for anything! We have two copper pieces and I’d rather not skip dinner. Again.”

River turned back around and glared once more. “This is a pirate ship, Clara.” Her voice was harder than Clara had heard it ever before, like she could hit someone over the head with it. “You’ve probably never encountered one of them during your sheltered time at the pole, but if somebody found my necklace and sold it, then it will be with this crew. I met a few pirates during a journey I made with my father, a few years back. They are bastards and hard to haggle with, but they…”

River stopped cold and stared at a figure that had stepped out of the shadows.

He was a short bald man with strange leathery skin and a blue uniform-like outfit. The sword at his side was short, but even Clara could see that it was sharpened to kill.

“How can the Sontaran Empire help you today?” His voice was too calm and way too emotionless, even Clara yerked back.

River plastered on a strained smile. _Fuck_!

To her surprise, Clara was the one to speak to the Sontaran with surprising ease. “Just looking for something we... misplaced. Do you have a lost and found?”

River dug her nails into her palms, trying not to react at the idiocy.

“No,” said the stranger. The word practically landed on the floor with an audible thud. 

“It’s a necklace, you see—ow.” River had reached for Clara’s hand, squeezing it so hard it hurt.

“We were just _leaving_.” River said through clenched teeth.

They turned around to see two other, similar-looking men now standing by the exit.

“It’s rude,” the first one mused, “to leave a shop without buying something.”

“Um…” Clara spoke up, despite River squeezing her hand even harder because _why won’t you just shut up?_ “We don’t have any money.”

He raised a non-existent eyebrow. “You came into my shop knowing you couldn’t pay? Did you think we’d lower the prices… or perhaps you weren’t planning on paying at all.” That last part didn’t seem to be a question. 

Maybe it was in their head, but the men by the door seemed a little more dangerous than a moment ago. 

“We came to exchange information about something,” River said suddenly with as much confidence as she could muster. 

The Speaker of the group just stared at River. “Information. Why would we care about information?” He wanted to get paid.

“What about a superweapon?” River hinted way too calmly. Clara’s eyes looked like they would pop out every second now.

The pirates’ body language suddenly changed. “A weapon.” It was the first time there were any emotions in his voice. “What _kind_ of weapon?” 

River grinned at him, she felt Clara jerk again and put more bite into her smile. “How about Clara picks something nice out for us and I tell you about this weapon?”

The pirate hesitated for a moment then nodded. “We will see if this information is valuable enough for the thing you pick out once we know everything.” 

River nodded solemnly and kicked Clara to get her moving.

_At least she wouldn’t say something stupid._

“This weapon,” River started, “It’s a person, a person the Firelord himself wants, so if you bring them to him, he will give you the weight of your ship in gold.” River bragged loudly and further in the belly of the ship she could hear Clara walk into something. Still, the eyes of the speaker started to gleam with greed. 

“It’s the Avatar!” River finally announced and watched as determination grew on the pirate’s face. “He is back, a fire bender, by the name of…” She was hung up on the name for almost a second, but suddenly Clara turned around the corner. 

“RIVER look!”

All eyes turned to Clara and for once she looked slightly embarrassed about speaking up. Clara coughed, “I mean... Um. I think I know what I want.”

“Bring it here, girl!” The pirate spat, clearly annoyed about the interruption.

River bit her tongue as Clara made her way back to the front. She held something in her first that looked like a scroll of paper. River’s stomach sank as she realized it wasn’t what they came for, but kept her face neutral. 

The pirate looked at Clara’s find with narrow eyes. “That’s a pricey one, little lady.”

“A name for the scroll?” River pressed. “That’s fair right?”

There was silence for a moment, the kind of silence that Clara felt like she was missing an obvious point. 

“A name _and_ a location.” The pirate looked back to River.

Great, what was she supposed to say to that? They were going to go out and look for someone—hurt them even. She couldn’t send danger to unsuspecting people… unless that person didn’t exist anymore.

“Jack,” she said after a long moment. “The Avatar’s name is Jack Harkness.”

Clara stared at River in shock, though the pirate looked fairly pleased. 

“And,” he prompted. “Where is he?”

“I want something else for his location.”

The pirate scowled. “That’s not the deal.”

River stood her ground. “It is more than fair.”

After a moment the pirate let out an angry growl and reached into his uniform. He was holding a dagger. River almost immediately went into a defensive stance and let fire lick her knuckles. 

“I’ll give you the dagger for the location.” The declaration startled River enough to quench her flames and even Clara made a confused sort of sound.

The pirate held the weapon out for River to take and she carefully did. It was beautiful. Perfectly balanced, the steel of the blade was freshly polished and there were circular symbols that River identified as circular Gallifreyan—the lost language of the high court of the fire lords and council. There was a single amber in the handle and detailed engravings of a dragon. River doubted that the pirate really would part with the thing.

“Fine!” she finally said and grabbed the dagger more securely. She thought for a moment, about what Jack had told her about his yearly route through the colonies and then smiled. “He will arrive at this port in two days. He owns a small wagon with a blue roof and a horse called Gwen.”

The pirate just stared at River for a moment then he started to smile. “Thank you, you will be able to leave, now.” River was about to turn when she felt the dagger wrenched from her hand. “Even though we will keep the merchandise.”

“WHAT?!” Both River and Clara just stared at them, and then the point of the dagger was at River’s throat. “Leave now or never!”

River stared down the blade of the knife at the pirate for a long moment before stepping back, grabbing Clara, and walking swiftly out. The circular Gallifreyan words burned into her mind _Always and Completely._

River wondered how she suddenly could read the language of the fire court, but she really couldn’t care about it.

She didn’t say a word until they had found a place outside the town to set up camp for the night. Even after the tents were set up and the daylight dimmed, River still said nothing. 

It was only when she shot an overly aggressive fireball to start the campfire that Clara finally couldn’t take it.

“Okay, why didn’t you do anything?

River was silent.

“Don’t be like that. I saw how you looked at that knife. You _wanted_ it. And that guy threatened you! I’ve never seen you back down from a fight, especially from the likes of them. You totally could have won that.”

“They’re Sontarans. A centuries-old nonbender cult of mad warriors.” River explained. “They see death in battle as the only honorable way to die and will pick a fight with everyone!” River rubbed her neck. “I’m surprised they didn’t know me!” 

Clara narrowed her eyes. “I’m afraid to ask, but… Why would they know you?” 

River grinned. “They have this tradition: Hen’s Night. I may have ruined one of them. They were kind of cross with me after that.” 

Clara giggled for a moment but turned serious rather fast. “Still, why were you backing down?”

River snorted, smoke coming out of her nose. “I wasn’t backing down.”

“Pouting then?”

Clara flinched as the campfire flared up and River bit out, “You got your stupid piece of paper what are you complaining about?!”

“It’s a waterbending scroll, actually. Real instructions on real techniques that we actually might use. Look River, I know you’re upset but...”

“But WHAT?”

This time the campfire roared and singed a few leaves of the tree above. Clara bit her lip, not actually knowing how to finish her sentence. “... I think I’ll call it a night now.”

The fire died down slowly as River breathed through her rage and Clara slipped into her tent.

Cal slinked up behind River, resting her head in her lap. River pinched the bridge of her nose and stroked Cal. Her necklace was nowhere to be found and now those pirates were going to go on a wild rooster-goose chase after someone who had probably died in a fire months ago.

She hadn’t thought about her friend Jack much after her hometown had gone up in flames. There had been so much grief, so much pain that she was always either pushing it down or too busy thinking about all the other lives lost. 

There was a chance, always a very very slim chance, that Jack had somehow not been there or made it out or… who was she kidding. Just because she hadn't seen Jack and Ianto in the town for a few weeks, it wouldn’t mean anything. She was the only survivor, wasn’t she? She and Cal.

River hugged Cal a little closer and thought about her old home. Her mother had loved history and was always telling River about the old ways of the Fire Nation. She knew all too well about the old councils and the secret catacombs and even the secret Gallifreyan language that she’d once spent a whole summer trying to learn but never got the hang of. That knife would have been a nice reminder of that, of those good times when her family was just what any other Fire Nation family was. 

No knife. No necklace. No Jack.

-x-

John stared at the port village and sighed. He couldn’t believe they stopped his search for Rive…the _Avatar_ just so his aunt could buy a new white lotus stone for her stupid game.

“Are we finally done?” he whined and glared at his aunt who was smiling at their crew and the completely useless stuff they were bringing onto their ship. 

“Don’t be like this nephew,” Idris said cheerfully and grinned at him. “It’s been so long since I could just browse a bit.” 

John rolled his eyes and turned his head to stare at a wagon that just reached the port. Its roof was blue and a majestic black mare was pulling the wagon. Two men stepped out and talked animatedly on the side of the road. One of them had dark hair and a huge flirty grin and the other one quite tall and with a frown on his face. 

John could hear some bit of their conversation, mostly the tall guy saying: “NO, Jack!”

John snorted. They reminded him of himself and Idris. It took him a moment to notice the group of short men in blue uniforms marching up to the wagon owners.

John sucked in a breath. Sontarans. “Aunt?” He asked without taking his eyes from the warriors. “Aunt we need to…” Something inside him froze when he saw one of the Sontarans hold a knife to the tall man’s. 

“Who of you is Jack?” One of the Sontarans asked and John crept closer to the scene.

To John’s shock, the one who was probably Jack answered, “I’ll tell you if you buy my dinner.”

The Sontarans didn’t seem to find this funny. “Intel says one of you is Avatar Jack Harkness! You will tell us now, or you will die!”

Jack only smiled. “My, my. Word gets around fast.” He mimed taking off a hat and bowed to the one holding the knife. “Avatar Jack Harkness, at your service.”

John frowned to himself. Avatar Jack? Someone had been taking advantage of the Sontarans’ gullibility, but who? Most of the Earth Kingdom still thought the avatar was no more.

“Now, I’m all about being tied up,” Jack continued as the Sontarans grabbed his wrists. Why wasn’t he resisting? “But may I ask first, who ratted me out?”

“No one of your concern,” one of the Sontarans huffed. 

“Pretty please?” Jack batted his eyes. “If you tell me I’ll let you tie me up extra tight.”

“Some woman with big hair,” they snapped at him. “You’ll be good to shut your mouth unless you want that tied, too.”

“Ooh, that sounds fun!”

Big hair… No. It couldn’t be her, could it? Of all the port towns and they happened to stop at the one with the real Avatar?

“It could be her.”

John jumped and spun around. Behind him, Aunt Idris was eating some fire flakes and offered him some. 

“Wh-... how— How long have you been standing there!?” John sputtered. 

“Enough to see all,” Idris gestured to the scene they’d been watching, “that.”

John sighed in defeat. “Well, it might _not_ be her.”

“You could follow them and find out.”

“What? No. I’m terrible at that. And they’re not going after Ri—the Avatar. They’re…” What _were_ those pirates doing? They were interested in money, right? They’d probably take this fellow to the Fire Lord himself for a reward. But if they gave this Jack to him instead, maybe he could find out more about that woman with big hair. 

“If you have them give you the “avatar” you could find out,” said Idris.

“I was going to say that.” John frowned. 

That was how John found himself on a pirate ship in the fanciest clothes he could find with a few armed escorts from his ship for show. 

The Sontarans weren’t easy to negotiate with, but by nightfall, they had agreed to bring the woman to John for payment and then turn over Avatar Jack for a second payment.

John was going to have to count their gold tonight.

-x-

In the morning, River found Clara’s tent door wide open and the inside empty.

“Why am I not surprised?” River asked Cal tiredly. “Really I should have predicted this and…” 

Cal jumped to the left and River whirled around, instinctively shooting a large fireball. A net caught on fire and River barely managed to duck out of the way as more came raining down around her.

When she got to her feet again, she was facing a bunch of Sontarans.

“Looks like they did remember after all,” she mumbled and watched as Cal lunches for one of the Sontarans. There were at least four of them and River was sure there were more between the trees. 

“CAL!” River shouted. “Hide!” 

A second later one of the nets engulfed River and the Sontarans started to drag her over the hard forest ground. “Nice!” River grumbled sarcastically. “Like I don’t have enough bruises!”

She ended up with her hands tied up at a clearing. Clara was bound to a tree next to her. At least she had the decency to look ashamed. 

Next to Clara stood a familiar woman: John’s aunt. Why was River not surprised?

“Really, Clara?” River hissed.

Clara just mumbled, “It’s all my fault. If I stayed at the camp and not trained during the night… Ugh. I’m so stupid!” 

River almost said something, but the aunt of the prince was faster. “Yeah. You are.”

River just shook her head. “Can’t disagree,” Clara grumbled at them both.

On the other side of the clearing, Jo.. _the prince_ was discussing something with the pirates. Eventually, he strolled over to River and Clara.

The prince smiled at River and she glared back. “Thank you!” he said in the direction of the Sontarans. 

One of the pirates had narrowed his eyes and was squinting at River. Her stomach knotted as she realized that they still had NOT identified her as the hen’s night culprit. She hoped it would stay like that.

“Here is your money.” The prince said. “Once we have the girls on the ship, we will give you the money for the Avatar.”

River’s head shot up. “The Avatar…” She whispered, Clara next to her looked confused. 

If the pirates thought they had the Avatar and the prince would pay for another person called the Avatar then that would mean…

“Jack!” It was more like a prayer than just a name. Her friend, her best friend was alive! That meant Ianto was too and…

“Why would you pay for the Avatar, River-” 

River managed to move her leg and kick Clara hard enough that the other actually screamed and River just glared at her friend. _You will stop talking NOW_. She mouthed. 

At that moment the squinting Sontaran gasped. “I remember the big head.” 

“Oh shit,” River cursed. 

John spun around as the angry Sontaran tried to march up to River. “Woah, hey. What are you doing? What do you mean you remember her?”

River swallowed. 

“Three years ago! She’s the one! She’s the culprit!” 

River turned to the fire lady. “What were you saying about taking us to your ship?” 

The old woman just looked between the angry Sontarans and River. “What exactly did you do?” 

River shrugged. “I may have interrupted Hen's night?” 

Idris made a face but seemed more amused than anything. “Ha!”

John was completely lost but the other Sontarans seemed to understand what the first was saying and grew aggressive as well. They started to surround River. 

“Hey. Stop. We have a deal and whatever past you’re talking about it’s over,” John tried to de-escalate. "We paid you, so she’s mine now.”

His? River certainly wasn’t anyone’s property and absolutely not _his_.

“Our deal ended when you paid us and we are free to do as we please,” the pirates insisted and pointed at River. “And we want that one!”

River looked at Clara with a sheepish sort of smile. Clara just looked scared but at the same time, a bit determined. “I’m going to try something,” Clara whispered. “When I do, I want you to get us out of here.”

“What—?”

Clara didn’t wait. She moved her arms as much as she could, which wasn’t much at all with the ropes, but the water from the stream started coming towards them.

The Sontarans didn’t seem to notice, still arguing with John.

Once enough water was around them, Clara half-shouted half-whispered, “Fire!”

River took a deep breath and exhaled an impressive breath of fire. Steam filled the area as the water evaporated quickly. With equal speed, River burned through the rope and freed her hands as well as Clara’s.

“Let’s go!” Clara grabbed River’s hand.

“Wait, Clara. Jack is on their ship somewhere.”

“Who the hell is Jack?”

“No time, we have to get him!”

Soldiers from John’s ship came rushing in to face the pirates. Rive and Clara barely made it out of the mist when the prince stepped into their way. The rest of their men were still fighting. 

“How about this?” John offered and there was this smile again. River had met the guy often enough to see a fake smile. This was his. “You come with me and I guarantee you that your friend will be fine.” 

River shot a fireball in his direction. He batted it to the side and grabbed something from his pocket. 

In his hand, dangling from a blue ribbon was a charm in the form of the black moon spirit. River just gaped at it and made a step closer in his direction. 

“No!” Clara grabbed River's arm. “You can’t River! Are you mental?! Not even that necklace is worth…” But River shook Clara’s hand from her arm and made another step closer. 

“That’s mine!” She growled and the prince smiled.

“I know. I tend to notice details like this. Especially the pretty once.” 

River forced a grin. “So you think I’m pretty?” 

At once the prince was reduced to a blushing, stuttering mess. Out of the corner of her eye, River could see the fire lady slap a hand over her eyes. 

River made a step closer. “What else did you notice?” Her smile was no less feral, but somehow not in a violent way this time. 

John…the PRINCE stammered a bit more. Gods, was he blushing more?

“I don’t it’s not like I…um…I,” 

River made another step closer and pushed a curl behind her ear. 

His eyes fixed onto the movement at once. “Pretty hair.” 

He probably didn’t mean for her to hear this, but River’s grin grew. “It’s hard to maintain, but it indeed is nice.” 

She brushed her hand over her hair again. John followed the movement. River made another step. 

“Yeah it’s…” he agreed.

River grabbed the prince by the front of his tunic, yanked him in, and kissed him.

He gasped in surprise. Clara squealed and Idris seemed to pray for patience. River just grinned into the kiss, when she noticed how John’s hand flapped in the air. 

She stopped the kiss, before he could think anything and smiled at him. 

He was red in the face again. 

“Thank you,” River whispered, almost kissing him again and then she pressed a quick peck to his cheek. “For letting me test out the lipstick.”

“That what?” John asked but no sooner than he spoke did his vision start going dark and he found himself on the ground unable to move.

A knife soared past her and John and River turned to see the Sontaran glaring at her. 

“Damnit!” She cursed and grabbed Clara’s hand. Jack would have to wait.

“What the hell kind of lipstick was that? And where’d you even get it?” Clara yelled as they ran.

“Tranquilizing, I think,” River answered, wiping her lips. “Stole it from the pirate ship yesterday. Good, aren’t I?”

“I’m not sure good is the word.”

-x-

Two hours later John rammed his ship into the pirate ship. The Sontarans protested, but he merely smiled at them. There still was some faint red on his cheek and lips. “You can’t just come in here!” 

John glared at the Sontarans. “Since you discarded our deal, you’ll see I can!” He pointed to his men, to the two prisoners. “After all our deal ended when you did not pay us and we are free to do as we please. And we want that one!” He spat their words back at them and enjoyed the silent fuming of the leader. 

On his way out he noticed the dagger on a table. With delicate carvings and circular Gallifreyan on the blade. Nobody saw him taking it.

“Now, Jack Harkness,” John said once they were back on his ship. “Tell me about River Song.”


	9. The Same Coin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Aren’t I?” River hissed and furrowed her brow. “Until my village was burned, that’s all I was. I was a kid reciting the Fire Nation oath every day in school. I watched plays about Fire Nation soldiers killing innocents and cheered them on without thinking twice. We even have a stupid game called Air Nomad Tag, you’ll never guess how to win that.”

**Chapter Nine: The Same Coin**

John turned from his crew. They had all sorts of ideas of how to get the two _guests_ they had to start talking and he didn’t like any of them. He ordered them to put Jack and Ianto into an empty room near his quarters. Now it was his turn to talk to them. 

They had refused to say anything back when they first arrived, which had prompted the crew to make their suggestions of torture and inhumane methods.

It was the tall one, Ianto, who was talking with Jack rather quietly as John approached the room. “I don’t know about this John, but the way he talks about River, he has seen her and …the fact that a bunch of Sontarans just went up to us calling you the Avatar? That screams like something River would say.” 

John opened the door completely and the two of them stopped at once.

“Your highness,” Jack greeted and John could already see that the grin he had plastered on was fake. 

John sighed and started to slip out of the top layer of formal clothes he was still wearing from the encounter with the Sontarans. “I understand you are wary of me,” John said quietly, as he folded his over clothes into a pile next to the door. 

Both men stared at his every movement, Jack with appreciation and Ianto with more warry. 

“I can’t say the Avatar and I got off on the right foot.” John stopped and thought about their catastrophic first meeting at the pole. “Yeah. No. She doesn’t like me, but…”

“Hang on. Are you telling us River, _our_ River, River fucking Song, is the Avatar?” Jack tilted his head back and started laughing. “No way,” he finally said once he calmed again. River is powerful, but she…” Jack hesitated. “She isn’t one for power. She just wants a normal happy life. I think.” 

Jack’s eyes had darkened and John could see a sadness in Jack’s eyes. A sadness he sometimes saw when he looked into the mirror. Or in aunt Idris’s eyes when she looked at him and thought he didn’t notice. 

“She didn’t fit in,” John said quietly and sat down in front of the two. They looked at him much more attentively than before. 

“She was always different,” Ianto said hesitantly, “more vibrant and less like the others. She stood out, like a blue flame among red.” 

John sighed and shook his head. He tried hard not to think about his mother or Missy. “I get that. I can see it sometimes when we meet.”

Jack still stared, his mouth hanging slightly open and there was a light of understanding in his eyes, that John didn’t like. Ianto looked much more suspicious. 

“Did you know about the attack on our village?” Ianto asked.

Jack’s jaw snapped shut and his eyes narrowed. John held Ianto's gaze, fidgeting. After a moment he sighed and started to loosen his tunic. The fabric fell open just slightly. “Yes.” 

The guests could see clearly the scar on his chest. It was finally healed. No danger of breaking open. No immense pain, just a faint aching. “I got this because I spoke against that plan. My father wasn’t pleased about how much I cared about “traitors” who protected the Avatar. He banished me for it. The only way I can go home is if I bring him the Avatar.” 

The two men shared a look. It was a whole conversation, just with the emotions in their eyes. John yearned for someone to do the same. 

Then Ianto spoke. “We don’t know about _Avatar_ River,” his voice was filled with hesitation, but Jack smiled at John. “But we can tell you about River Song, the girl we grew up with.”

It was almost nightfall when John let Jack and Ianto go. They bowed to his aunt and of course, Jack made a comment or two that made Idris grin too wide and John blush. Ianto let out a long-suffering sigh. John had learned over the last hours, that the two of them worked like this. He liked it. 

“If you meet her again,” Jack said as she shook John’s hand. “Tell her The Captain has something for her.” 

“JACK!” This time Ianto growled and John laughed. 

“Will do,” John promised and he meant it. 

“Goodbye, your Highness,” Ianto said, bowing. Jack just winked. 

John turned around one more time when they stood on the docks. 

“Goodbye, my friend,” Jack called and John felt warmth bloom in his chest. 

_Friend._

Behind him, a voice he hadn’t heard in years spoke, “How does it come that I’m not surprised that the dishonored crowned prince is friends with criminals?” 

The warmth in John’s chest turned to burning ice and he turned so fast he stumbled. Aunt Idris stood next to a tall, blond man, with a manic grin. She looked at him with fear and an apology in her eyes. John noticed her trembling hands.

“General Saxon!”

-x-

The ten days leading up to the arrival at the North Pole happened to be one of the worst of River’s life. It took her and Clara about five days just to get to the north coast of the continent. The map showed no islands to rest on, and neither River nor Clara knew how far they would have to go. Poor Cal wouldn’t be able to swim the whole time. They did the one thing that could do: they stole a boat.

It was a nicer one than the one River had stolen to get to the Southern Pole. It had a roof, for one thing, a makeshift stove for cooking, and more space. It had belonged to some Fire Nation soldier which, thinking about it, couldn’t have gotten them into quite a bit of trouble, but it wasn’t like they had any other option. All River could do was take off and burn the Fire Nation flag. She did her best to burn off the symbol that was on the sides of the boat, but she could only do so much, so the black scorch mark had to be enough.

Still, that meant five days in a confined place with Clara. In other words, no way to shield herself from Clara’s grins, and her poking, and her questions.

Somehow, just because River had kissed John…the _Fire Nation Prince_ , Clara had gotten into her head that River liked the douchebag. Ridiculous! Absolutely ridiculous!

Being on the boat also meant that River was alone with her thoughts about Jack. He was alive. He and Ianto hadn’t been in the village when it was burned down. River felt a silly grin creep up her face. It meant two of her childhood friends were alive. 

“You are grinning again!” Clara poked her finger into River's side and River just glared. “You are thinking about the prince!” 

River just rolled her eyes. “I’m not! I’m thinking about the fact that two of my childhood friends are not burned to crisps.” 

The sudden silence was too loud and River sighed. 

“Sorry,” Clara whispered. 

“It’s okay, it's just… really you’ve got to stop assuming you know everything there is to know about what I’m thinking. You’ve been asking about that prince for days and no matter what I say, you only believe what you want to hear. It was self-defense to get away and nothing more! Honestly, there’s more to this life than some stupid boy.”

Clara looked like she might say something snarky but wisely shut her mouth. There was silence again and then, “You don’t talk about your home much.”

“Gee, you think?” River snapped, then pinched her nose to calm herself. “It’s not the easiest thing to talk about.”

Clara looked at her with those wide curious eyes, wanting to do nothing more than understand. “You never said you had any friends. We’ve been traveling for two months and this is the first I’m hearing about Jack. Is he nice?”

River looked away towards the sea. “He can be. He can be a real arse, too.”

Clara chuckled and pulled a blanket tighter around her. River and Clara moved the boat during the day with bending to let Cal rest and Cal pulled the boat by night, which had fallen about an hour ago. 

“I knew a boy like that.”

River looked back at her friend. There was something in Clara’s voice she recognized. Sadness or maybe guilt? “Yeah?”  
“Danny,” Clara said the name like she was telling a secret. “He was the only other bender in the village beside me. Taught me most of what I know. A real arse sometimes but also kind and funny and...” Clara trailed off, her eyes downcast.

River didn’t want to ask what had happened to him. She didn’t need to. The other villagers had told her about the raids and wars they faced; the reason there were no more benders.

“I’m sorry,” River finally said.

“What? Why are you apologizing now?”

“The Fire Nation took him, right? They… _we_ took so much.”

“River, you’re not like them. You’re not some soldier raiding towns for equipment.”

“Aren’t I?” River hissed and furrowed her brow. “Until my village was burned, that’s all I was. I was a kid reciting the Fire Nation oath every day in school. I watched plays about Fire Nation soldiers killing innocents and cheered them on without thinking twice. We even have a stupid game called Air Nomad Tag, you’ll never guess how to win _that_.” River slumped in her seat, not daring to meet Clara’s eyes. “Sure, I never fit in, but I was still just a girl proud to be part of a great and powerful nation. I was going to join the army, you know. I wanted to fight on the front lines and bring my nation glory. I wanted to be the one who stood on top of the enemy with nothing but their blood on my hands.”

Clara swallowed.

River regretted telling that last bit almost immediately. Flashes of that day in the South Pole crossed her mind. She remembered the fear in the villagers, in the price too. And that power she held… she kind of liked it. 

“I’m going to bed,” River mumbled and turned to Cal, to check on her, before she fell asleep. Even her hound was nervous. River could see it in the way Cal was moving.

 _Great_ . River thought. _I think I just destroyed the only friendship I had left_.

-x-

“So,” General Saxon walked through the room like it belonged to him. “Tell me about those two men you just let go. I think I heard rumors that one of them was the Avatar.” 

John kept quiet for a long moment, thinking about how to tell Saxon nothing at all. Harald Saxon was his father's closest advisor. From the tales John had heard, Saxon once was trained by Madame Kovarian, one of the most feared Generals in Fire Nation history. She was ruthless and outright cruel. She had died just a few weeks after John had been born. To this day nobody knew why or how. Some said it was because of an assassination attempt on his father's life. Others said it was an incident with the structure of the building. What John knew for sure was that Harald Saxon had taken after Madame Kovarian and even surpassed her in many ways. Ruthless.

“Neither of them are the Avatar,” John finally said through his teeth. Idris next to him squeezed his hand under the table. She had taken it the moment they had sat down and John was thankful for it. He wasn’t sure if he could do this without her here. 

“Mhm.” Saxon turned to the display at one far wall and John tensed when the man picked up the dagger. “I heard it’s a woman. What a pity, really I thought maybe the Avatar would be a challenge, but then, it turns out it’s only a woman.” 

This time Idris' hand didn’t squeeze his hand because of fear, but of anger. Everybody knew that Fire Lady Idris was one of the most powerful fire benders alive. She was the one who killed the last dragon. His aunt had even invented many new techniques to fire bend and this man stood there and insulted her. 

“Well?” 

John's head snapped up and he was met with the disapproving glare of the other man. “Pardon?” He asked weakly and Saxon rolled his eyes. 

“I can see why you are unable to imprison her,” he muttered and John bit his tongue to keep himself from speaking. “The two men, who are they?” 

“Only traveling merchants. The Avatar had met them a few days ago and made some Sontarans believe one of them was her.” John held Saxon's gaze with all the stubbornness he could muster. “They were useless and knew nothing, but they made a good source of entertainment. I made them believe they could trust me so I had some spies in the colonies.” 

Saxon said nothing but tilted his head. At least he put the dagger down and sat across the table. “Maybe,” he mumbled and then smiled again. “You know your sister is a rather bright student of mine.” Saxon chuckled, but neither John nor Idris could laugh with him.

Missy was a sore spot for both of them. John loved his sister more than anything. She was his best friend, the one person that kept him alive and still managed to challenge him. He knew she loved him too, but something had changed in the last years. Ever since father had made Saxon her personal tutor, Missy had slowly turned more and more aggressive and…

“I think I’ll know where the Avatar will go.” Saxon finally said this time it was John who squeezed Idris' hand.

“Where?” He asked.

“That’s none of your concern, Prince John. Given the outcome of your last two encounters with the Avatar, I’ve been given permission to take you off of this case. Permanently.”

John’s eyes widened and he stood up so fast he rocked the table. “WHAT?”

Saxon didn’t pay him much mind, flicking a piece of lint from his uniform. “My informants tell me you’re afraid to use violence with her. That won’t get you very far these days.” 

“What informants?” John growled. 

“Don’t worry your little head over it. I’ll be taking this ship if you don’t mind. A new one has been prepared for you and will arrive tomorrow.”

“You can’t do this!” John looked desperately at his aunt. “He can’t do this.”

“I’m afraid he can…” Idris whispered. 

“But she’s my only chance at coming home!”

“With all due respect,” Saxon interrupted, though he didn’t sound like he had much respect to start with, “you’ve already proved that this task is too much for you. The Fire Lord generously may come up with something else for you. Might not. That’s above me, Prince John.”

John flinched at the sound of his own name. Saxon had no right to say it. “This is my ship. My crew. You _can’t_.”

“I already have. Now, do me a favor and remove yourself from this ship before I have to do it for you.”

Idris stood and took John’s arm. “Don’t make a fuss nephew, it won’t end well.”

John’s jaw hurt from clenching it so hard but did as he was told, grabbing his dagger on the way out.

-x-

River was on the first shift for sailing this morning. Waterbending was certainly faster than a paddle, but she wished she could blow a gust of wind into the sail. That would be even better.

Clara had the scroll from the Sontarans open and was practicing over the side of the boat, as she often did with any free time she got nowadays. They hadn’t said a word to each other today. River was sure she’d say something stupid if she tried, so she resigned herself to the silence and focused on her work.

It was tricky trying to identify the difference between an iceberg or some ice float and then either to move around it or move the ice itself. It was fun in some way and good practice. River had to really feel into the water and feel the ice. It also was such a monotone task that without the chatter Clara would distribute normally River felt like going crazy.

Cal was only so much of a help. It was hard to get the hound out of the water in the morning without capsizing the boat, but after five days on sea both River and Clara were used to it. Cal would sit near the oven and heat up until the night. From time to time River would stop pushing the boat and turn to the oven to keep the fire going, but not even that was much of a difference. Her firebending was weak up here from the cold.

River was so lost in her thought and trying not to notice Clara, that she only realized that her friend had stopped practicing when she spoke. “Is it really like that in the Colonies?” 

River jerked violently and their boat tiled to one side to the other, much more than River was comfortable with. “What?” She turned to Clara with big eyes.

“Do they teach you really so much hate?” Clara wrung her hands and sighed. “I mean from what you said last night. It sounded like they taught you to hate everything not related to the fire nation.” Clara turned her head and sighed again. “Nana kept telling us that the people in the colonies didn’t know better. That you never had a chance to be different, because the Fire Nation, the _real_ Fire Nation had such a strong grip on you.”

River turned back to the cold sea in front of her and tried her hardest to not blink. “My parents were different. My dad and his parents immigrated to the colonies after they lost their land to richer people. My mother was born in the village I grew up in. I think her father was an earth bender, but…” River curled into herself a bit. 

“They always told me to be kind to everyone and no matter what I told them, they never let me join the army. Sometimes, when an eel hound disappeared, and it only happened every few years, I think my dad gave them away. There were other refugees. They would come to our village and beg for help. Nobody was willing and then the next day a hound was gone.”

Finally River turned to Clara. “I think my parents knew that I was the Avatar from the beginning. They had to, right? A baby adopted from the water tribe knowing how to fire bend? And they tried their best to make me better than what the Fire Nation wanted me to be, but…”

A violent jolt sends them tumbling. Clara flew against Cal’s side and the eel hound instinctively grabbed for Clara with her teeth, but River, who stood at the front of the ship, flew over the side and into the freezing water. 

She didn’t have time to cry out before the cold surrounded her. For a moment River felt nothing. Only the utter shock that she had missed an iceberg and endangered Clara and Cal. Then she finally registered the cold water and River gasped.

-x-

John stared after his ship and half of his crew looked back at him from the railing. Only two people had stepped from the boat with him: Idris and the cook. For a moment he almost smiled, because of course, the cook came. The foolish man would follow his aunt to the end of the world, but it also meant that he openly disobeyed General Saxon and John was afraid of what the cook would face once Saxon remembered him.

At least Saxon would have to deal with bitter dinners from what even incompetent replacement they got. 

“I can’t believe this,” John complained for the 5th time as they made their way to find lodgings for the night. “What does he think he can do that I can’t? I ought to have fought back or… or…. Ugh!” He threw his hands in the air. 

Idris put a hand to his shoulder. “Perhaps you should?”

John and the Cook stared at her, the woman who usually abhorred any sort of violence. “What?”

“John.” They’d stopped walking and Idris took his hands. “The difference between Saxon and you… well, there are lots of differences but he's going to use violence to get what he wants. And he wants the Avatar.” 

John frowned and something in his stomach sank. “He’s not going to kill her, is he? That would just start the whole search over again.”

“I don’t know, John. The Avatar is a difficult woman to capture and he will do what he has to ensure his success.”

He noticed the way she spoke the words _difficult woman_ like she knew something he didn’t. Like she had met another Avatar. Another woman who had the same power as River.

John swallowed. “I need to follow him.”

Idris nodded. “After a good night's sleep. Please, John, you need your sleep.”

“Fine, we’ll find the inn,” he conceded. “But we leave at dawn.”

Black smoke rose from the seaport in the morning. Saxon and Idris stood on the deck of John’s ship, the latter dapping her eyes with a handkerchief. 

“It’s a shame,” Saxon said with no remorse in his tone, “What happened to John.”

“And the cook,” Idris wept. “Such an unfortunate accident.”

“I cannot imagine your heartbreak, but I must ask you. Will you consider joining me in my siege on the North? Your expertise is irreplaceable. Besides, it’s the Avatar's fault what happened tonight. Without her, the prince would have never set a foot into that inn. He would still be alive without her.”

“I would be…” Idris tried not to roll her eyes. Insulting her one moment and complimenting her the next—what a manipulative bastard. “...honored to join you. In John’s memory of course.”

“Of course,” Saxon echoed. “I'm pleased to hear it.”

Idris couldn’t stop a glare as Saxon left to the lower decks. She had a strong feeling that waking up choking on smoke was no accident and John agreed.

In a side alley, not far from the ship, a lonely Fire Nation soldier gave a man a small bag of gold. “It will be enough for you to go to Ba Sing Se. Thank you for standing with us today and thank you for saving our lives.” 

For a moment the soldier slid the faceplate of the armor off and John smiled at the cook. “If this ends I’ll find you and make you my personal cook. I promise you that. Farewell, my friend!” 

The cook bowed and both of them turned without looking back. They had a purpose now and neither of them needed the other.

-x-

 _RIVER!_

She barely managed to hear the small voice through the loud noise of her panic, but once Melody appeared in front of her, River stopped moving to thrash. “Melody!” She whispered and noticed that she didn’t feel the cold water any longer nor was choking on it. 

_You can’t do this now!_ Melody screamed and there were tears in her eyes. _You can’t come to me now. You almost arrived. You can’t give up now!_

She was crying. River realized that Melody was not only crying but shaking like a leaf. Jaguar was nowhere to be found. “Why are you here Melody? I just fell into the water, I was about to get back up and…” 

River stopped and blinked. She couldn’t remember what she had done last. River remembered falling into the water and fighting to get back up but after that? She had seen the boat and other ice floats. They looked strange. Too perfect. Like the underside of more boats.

_River, please, wake up. You can’t die now, you just started your journey. They say you just started to get better. Please River wake up!_

River blinked and for a moment she was cold and her lungs burned. It was like she couldn’t move. Like something else was controlling her body. Different from the times when other Avatars had helped her. More like a force that didn’t let her do what she needed to do.

_Wake up. Please!_

There was no water any longer, but the burning ruins of a tower. She was smaller than she used to be and all around her everything burned. Her hands and her side hurt, but she ignored it to shake the shoulders of a beautiful redhead. “Please wake up.” Her voice… no not her voice, _Melody’s_ voice. “Please don’t leave me alone.”

_Wake up, please._

River gasped and more water filled her lungs. For half a second everything hurt and burned, but then the cold water in her lungs made her jolt and somehow River found the power to scream.

Fire burst from her hands and feet and the water around her started to boil and move in circles. Despite the wet, freezing environment, fire still burst from her, somehow not dissipating in the water. Closer and closer both the water and the fire came to her. For a moment River marveled at the beauty of this silent dance around her. She understood why fire and water were two sides of the same coin. Both of them were beautiful and so dangerous. Fire killed you slowly and painfully, but water was cold and fast. You didn’t even notice what happened until it was too late. 

River closed her eyes and thought she remembered a move Clara had trained this morning. The circles of water and fire finally touched her and River opened her eyes.

She broke through the surface at the same moment. Below her Cal yelped up at her. Her tail wiggling and she jumped so high the boat almost turned. Clara was holding onto the railing, but there was something in her eyes that River had never seen before.

Around them were seven or eight boats made of ice. _The strange shapes I saw._ On them, men dressed in water tribe clothing: an armor like leather Augustus had shown her back home. They all stared up at her with their mouth open.

Below her feet, the wood of her own boat cracked and caught aflame.


	10. The Northern Water Tribe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ahead of them, a massive cliff of ice stood tall. The middle of it, the area where the fleet was heading, had been smoothed down manually and a large, circular symbol had been carved into it; the symbol of the water tribe.
> 
> River watched with a schooled expression as the benders around her moved methodically and slowly brought a section of the ice wall down like a draw door. Clara was practically jumping up and down as they sailed in.

**Chapter Ten: The Northern Water Tribe**

  
“So was anyone going to tell me that you can use water to heal or was I just supposed to find that out by nearly drowning in an arctic ocean?”

The healer above River chuckled but continued her work. Others hovered close by; men and women in water tribe clothing. Clara was talking worriedly with one of them.

The wooden floor behind River’s back seemed to rock with the waves. This wasn’t their boat; River had accidentally damaged theirs in the Avatar State.

“They said they’ll teach us healing,” Clara bubbled excitedly as she switched places with the healer. 

“Might be useful,” River murmured tiredly. She felt like she’d been hit with an iceberg. “Where’s Cal?”

“Swimming next to us. And they’re towing our boat—said they’ll be able to repair it while we stay.”

River was silent for a moment. She didn’t need Clara to tell her that they’d found the Northern Water Tribe, that much was clear from the abundance of water benders that weren’t Clara. “How long until we get there?”

“Now,” said the healer who had been working on River before. “If you feel you can stand, you may come to the top deck.”

Clara helped River up with minimal difficulty and they followed the others to the deck of the ship.

The air was chilling, but refreshing from the stuffy underbelly of the ship. The sun was still high, bouncing off of the ice and water around them with almost blinding brightness. Other water tribe boats sailed next to them and River could see their own damaged boat being tugged behind with a rope. Had she really done all that? The edges of their stolen ship were charred with scorch marks and the mast was snapped in half. At least Clara and Cal didn’t seem to be hurt from whatever fit she’d had.

Ahead of them, a massive cliff of ice stood tall. The middle of it, the area where the fleet was heading, had been smoothed down manually and a large, circular symbol had been carved into it; the symbol of the water tribe.

River watched with a schooled expression as the benders around her moved methodically and slowly brought a section of the ice wall down like a draw door. Clara was practically jumping up and down as they sailed in.

River had to give it to them, this city was much more impressive than any fortress River had seen in the Colonies and certainly a far cry from the Southern Tribe. It gave her a glimpse of what her own town could look like if they managed to restore it. The buildings, though made of ice, were each sculpted with clear care and craftsmanship. They sailed through liquid streets, trying to take it all in

River glanced at Clara and nodded once her friend looked back at her. “We did it!” River whispered and Clara just smiled. 

“Yeah!”

The inner city of the Northern Tribe was no less impressive, but it felt a bit like a parade with everyone stopping and looking at them. River tried to embrace it, but it was still unnerving, especially with her old teacher's voice in her head telling her about the evil of the Water Tribes. It wasn’t true, River knew that, but she still had a lot to unlearn from a Fire Nation education.

When the boats stopped, a large group of people was waiting for them in front of the largest building of the place. Most of them were old people—women and men dressed in traditional ritual clothing and the formal dresses Nana Sheila had described to the little children. 

One of the men, a short, kind-looking fellow with a white beard stepped out of the group and smiled at them.

“We just got the news, welcome to the tribe, sisters! I’m Wilfred. I am the leader of this tribe and this,” he gestured to the others, “is the high council.” 

“We’re just a club of old people looking for some fun!” Someone in the crowd called and all of them laughed at the joke. 

One of them, a younger-looking woman, just rolled her eyes. She stepped up next. “I’m Sylvia Noble. I’m Wilfred's daughter. It’s a pleasure to meet both of you.” 

River wanted to believe the woman, but the way she never stopped looking between them just unnerved her. “It’s…”

There was a sound of thundering footsteps and River whirled around to see a tall redhead run around the corner. She looked flushed and a bit out of breath, but she was dressed in the same elegant clothes. “I’m sorry I’m late, nobody told me anything until just now and I’m sorry Granddad!” 

She stopped next to River and smiled weakly at Wilf while trying to catch a breath. She looked proud and had an air around her that River liked a lot. The old man grinned back at her, but Sylvia didn’t look half amused. River involuntarily took a step back from her. She didn’t like that Sylvia woman one bit. In fact, she reminded River a lot of the baker's wife when she was angry. 

Next to her, the redhead got a bit paler. “Mum.” She nodded once and River could see how the redhead curled a bit into herself. The tall proud woman from a few seconds ago almost completely gone.

“Couldn’t you just for once be on time? What kind of example do you set if you're late?” Sylvia hissed.

One of the men in the background spoke up. “Please, Sylvia. If you remember, your daughter was teaching the girls about our traditions. On the _other side_ of the tribe. It’s a miracle that she’s here so fast.” 

The redhead stood a bit taller and River watched her with interest. Just then she turned to look at River and for a moment they stared at each other. River smiled and held out a hand. “I’m River Song.” 

The redhead blinked at her. “Interesting name. I’m Donna Noble.” 

River just sighed. “I know, my name is kinda ironic, but I was named by firebenders who adopted me so…” 

River stopped cold and blinked. _Donna Noble_. A memory sparked at the back of her head and a scratchy voice spoke up. 

_And noble red will fade when…_

River squashed the thought forcefully, just as Clara spoke up. “River is the Avatar. I’m just her friend, who wants to learn waterbending.”

A short, balding man stepped forwards and addressed them. “Of course, you will be taught accordingly. Avatar River, you will meet with me at dawn and you, Clara, will be seeing Miss Jones in the morning.”

River and Clara exchanged glances with each other.

“Master Lux will show you to your lodgings,” said Wilfred. “If you would be so kind as to join us here tonight, we can celebrate.”

“What does celebrate mean, exactly?” Clara asked River when they’d been left alone in a guest house.

“Party?” River shrugged. “I mean, I’m kind of a big deal.”

“What happened to all that ‘I never chose to be the avatar’ stuff?” Clara swatted River’s arm with a tunic. They’d been provided a whole wardrobe of new clothes fitting the traditional looks of the Northern Tribe. River mostly appreciated a warm coat in this freezing place. 

“I didn't choose to be the avatar,” River huffed. “But tonight it’s earned us a bed and a hot meal, so I can’t complain.”

Clara smiled, slipping out of her old clothes and into the new ones. “What’s the deal with different teachers, though?”

River shrugged. “He did say _master_ Lux. Maybe I’m getting private lessons or something.” 

“Well, you are a big deal, Miss Avatar.”

This time, River swatted Clara and laughed.

In the morning, River felt sick from all the food she’d eaten. Clara was already up and poking at her face in a mirror. 

River groaned and sat up in bed. “Have I ever mentioned that I hate morning people?”

“Only a few hundred times,” Clara chuckled without looking. 

“How can you be so awake? You ate more than I did and I had three plates!”

“True… but you also had three drinks.” Clara finally turned. “How do I look?”

River flopped back down on her back, pulling the sheet over her head. “Annoying.”

“Hey, give me a real answer. First day of water bending class! It’s exciting! Aren’t you excited?”

“I’m _tired,”_ River mumbled as she finally rolled out of bed and went to find her clothes. “And I’ve got a headache.”

“Maybe they can heal that up.”

River snorted. “I’ll be learning defense before I learn to heal. We’d better get moving if we don’t want to be late.”

“I’ll walk you to your class, right? Then I’ll find mine and we’ll meet up after.”

River agreed to this, only because she was sure she’d wander into the ocean at this hour in the morning without help. 

They were a little late by the time they found Lux, but River was a little more awake by then. Master Lux stood ready in a clearing in front of the dining hall they were at last light, about ten other students around him and waiting as well. 

“Um…” Clara looked around at the other students. “I thought you were getting a private lesson.”

River yawned. “Maybe they just have two teachers.”

“Avatar River,” Lux addressed her and River snapped to attention. “I generally do not accept tardiness and I certainly don’t expect it from you.”

“Er, just got a bit lost on the way,” River brushed off. 

“And what is _she_ doing here?” He spat as if he was offended. 

River looked at Clara with confusion. “Just dropping me off, sir.”

“She’d better not be staying.”

River paused for a moment. There was something in Lux’s tone that wasn’t sitting right with her and she couldn’t help but probe. “Would it be a problem if she did?”

Lux scoffed. “This is a class of warriors, Miss Song. Not healers.”

“Clara _is_ a warrior,” River’s eyes narrowed. 

“She is a _woman_ ,” Lux waved a hand dismissively. “Run along now, girl. Go see Master Jones.”

Something clicked in River’s mind and she could see that Clara realized it too. All the students next to Lux, every single one of them was a young boy. No girls at all.

Clara could see River’s anger grow and anxiously put a hand to her shoulder. “River don’t—”

River flinched her hand away from Clara and closed the distance between her and Lux with a deadly glare. “What the hell does being a woman have to do with fighting?! I’m a woman, and guarantee you I can fight better than any boy from my village and yours.”

Lux didn’t seem bothered. “Avatar River, I understand this may come as a shock to you, but in our tribe women are forbidden from learning any waterbending besides healing. It’s a tradition. We are making a special exception for you, seeing as you are the Avatar, but you cannot expect us to extend that to your little friend here.”

The ice around River’s feet was starting to melt a little and Clara wished she could just disappear from the situation. “What kind of sexist crap is that? Have you any idea what we’ve had to face to get here?! Pirates don’t care if you’re a man or a woman. The spirits don’t care. The fire nation certainly doesn’t, and let me tell you they will kill you just as quickly.”

A shadow passed over Lux’s face and despite his short height we seemed to tower over River. “I appreciate your journey, Avatar, but you are here now and you’re expected to abide by our rules. Or leave.”

River exhaled through her nose, steam rising from her breath. “If you won’t teach Clara, you won’t be teaching me.” With that, she spun around and marched back towards Clara and grabbed her hand. “Come on. Let's go.”

“No no no no. River stop. Stop!” Clara yanked her hand away from River’s. “You can’t just throw your water bending training away!”

“I can and I will.”

“Don’t be stupid! This rule is dumb but you _need_ to learn this and who else is going to teach you? I certainly can’t. Please River. You have to.”

River ground her teeth and looked back at Lux.

He wasn’t even looking at her, instead, he was talking to his students. 

“Please excuse River’s behavior, Master Lux,” Clara spoke up. River really wanted to hit her. “It’s been a tough time for us and the first time we were somewhere like home. She will train with you and I’ll go find Master Jones.” 

Clara was gone before River could protest and River smelled more than saw how her fists started to smoke. Several of the students stared at her hands with fearful eyes. Even Lux looked much warier than before. River bared her teeth at them.

Out of the corner of her eyes, River saw something red disappear around the corner.

-x-

John always thought his life in the palace was bad, with everyone around him hating him for being too weak and not the perfect prince. Looking around on what used to be his ship, the palace almost felt cozy. 

Ever since Saxon took over his ship the air was strange. The men loyal to Saxon strode through the halls of the ship, while his own men, a bunch of mismatched misfits, all but cowered in the corners. It was bad and Idris had told him that Saxon's plans were delusional.

“He wants to attack the Northern Tribe.” She had almost screamed the last time they were able to meet in private. “I mean the idea to do it during a lunar eclipse is brilliant, but still. The northern tribe is not stupid and they are amazing fighters even without their bending. Why do you think they are still untouched by war? Or why do you think it took so long to weaken the Southern Tribe.”

John hadn’t listened much during her rant. He was much more afraid for the people than the soldiers. He knew Saxon was cruel and his men were too. Everyone knew that the whole of Saxon's group were backstabbing bastards. If one of them died in a fight, it meant they were too weak and the next one took their place. 

John didn’t want to think about the destruction they could bring to the Northern Tribe. “We need a plan to warn them somehow, or at least to help!”

His aunt hadn’t said anything, but the look in her eyes told him she agreed with him.

So far they had nothing, but to John's comfort neither did Saxon. It was still almost a week until the eclipse and Saxon was still clueless about where the Water Tribe was located. They’d been traveling up and down the freezing water of the north just trying their best to not get stuck on the ice. 

John grinned with an idea. A cleverly placed distraction to the night crew and they might fail to see an iceberg.

-x-

River’s first training day ended just before sunset. They had only paused for lunch and even that break only lasted half an hour. River wanted to just curl up and sleep for a week. Still, the thought of a big dinner kept her on her feet. 

She noticed two little girls when she turned around the third wrong corner trying to get home. They looked like they were only twelve or younger, but the way they looked around made River pause immediately. 

“She will teach us how to…” 

“Shut up Kaya, or do you want us to get caught?” 

River grinned and turned to follow the two. She had wanted to ask them for directions, but _this_? No way she wasn’t looking into this.

As she followed the girls, River noticed that almost nobody was on the street and those who were, were little girls like the two River followed. Most of them were between twelve and sixteen, but there were others. One girl, who almost ran into River couldn’t be older than six. 

“Curiouser and curiouser.” River grinned and kept her distance to be sure she wasn’t caught.

They ended up in a courtyard between the wall and a tall building with only one window pointing to the courtyard. An old woman, River was almost sure she belonged to Wilf's group of Silver Cloaks, stood in the window and smiled down at the girls. 

“Is that everyone?” A voice called and River noticed Donna standing in one corner of the courtyard. 

The children nodded. 

“Nobody followed you?” A hush of voices filled the courtyard declining and Donna nodded up at the old woman. “Ok, keep watch, yes? And warn us if anybody comes closer.” Then Donna turned back to the group. “Alright take out the parchment and pen, so you can grab them if somebody comes, and then let’s train. Granddad showed me something new today so I hope you’re ready to learn.”

River watched in amazement as Donna instructed the girls. The children moved in perfect unison, moving the ice and water around them with ease. She meant to only watch for a minute, but one minute turned to ten, which turned into a whole hour. She just couldn’t look away.

Donna seemed to have a way with these girls, some quality that Lux was clearly missing as a teacher. She was gentle but firm. Kind, but serious. It was practically an art. And those kids had better control than any student River saw in Lux’s class including herself. 

River made her way back to her lodgings. She burst in excitedly, nearly scaring Clara half to death. 

“By the moon!” Clara shouted, having nearly fallen off her bed. “What the hell River?”

“I’ve just seen something amazing,” River enthused, her cheeks pink from the cold air. 

“Well at least someone had a good day.” Clara didn't look impressed and she settled back to how she’d been lying down before, face buried in a pillow. 

River hesitated and stepped further into the room, moving to sit on Clara’s bed. “Was Master Jones that bad?”

“No,” Clara sniffed. “Martha’s a lovely woman and a good teacher. She knows loads about the human body and it's really interesting stuff. It is… it’s just all hitting me really hard, I guess. I spent my life until I met you thinking I was stuck. Just stuck forever where I was but then you came and we left and we went through so much…” she took a breath. “And now some dumb rule means I’ll never become a master.”

“It is a dumb rule…” River placed a hand on Clara’s back in a comforting manner. “I think I have just the solution.”

Clara looked up at River with round, wet eyes. “You do?”

That was how Clara found herself being dragged by the arm by River the following night through the silent streets of the city in the middle of the night. River had been explaining what she saw of the secret lessons and how Donna taught the young girls.

“That’s what we’re going to do!” River bubbled excitedly, but still tried to be quiet. “Teach you in secret. I’ll learn during the day and teach you what Lux teaches me at night! Everybody wins.”

All Clara could do was blink in surprise as they stopped in a clearing by one of the channels. “That’s… that’s actually brilliant.”

River smiled widely under the moonlight. “Let’s do this.”

When they came closer to the courtyard River could already hear the quiet hush of the water and Donna's instructions. She and Clara slowly crept closer and River noticed the old woman sitting in a window knitting. Just as River and Clara came close she looked up. She almost immediately stood, but River waved wildly to get her attention. Somehow she got her point across, that she knew and meant no harm.

“And now you have to shift your whole body with the movement.”

They stepped into the courtyard just as Donna showed the groups of girls a bending move River had learned that day. “Oh, I learned that. It’s tricky to get your feet right. I fell several…”

One of the girls in the back of the group, she could only be ten, stumbled just at that moment and fell into the snow. River darted forward before she could think about it, helping the girl back up. “Do it slower, the feet are hard, but if you do it slower then it will be easier.”

River realized her mistake too late and everyone was staring. “Oh…shi—”

“What are you doing here?!” Donna sounded furious but glanced up at the window first. 

River raised her hands in surrender. “Asking to learn from you. Lux is good, but he’s an ass and refuses to teach Clara.” Everyone's eyes shifted to Clara just then. 

“I saw you last night and it’s amazing what you do, we want to learn with all of you, especially since…” 

A shrill whistle cut through the air and the girls scrambled to grab their parchment and pens. Donna stiffened and River turned just in time to see an anxious-looking Wilf, an angry Sylvia, and Lux stoic as ever walking into the courtyard. 

“What is the meaning of this?” Lux asked and River could see Donna lost for words.

“They are teaching us about their tribe's history and tradition,” River said before she could think about it. “We learn bending and healing,” she continued as she gestured between herself and Clara, “But nothing about the history of your tribe. It’s different from ours, so I asked Donna about it and she invited us for today.”

Wilfred looked relieved and clapped his hands together. “See? Told you nothing wrong at all and nothing to worry about. So we can all just go back to…”

“Wait.” Sylvia put up a hand. Her eyes were narrowed at River. “I’m just a bit curious, Avatar. What have you learned from my generous daughter today?”

River swallowed. If only she’d paid attention to Clara when she rambled. “Um… the… um… the moon spirit!”

Sylvia blinked as did the other adults. 

“Yeah. I learned about the moon spirit. And the ocean spirit too. They, uh, they give us power. I mean, they give water benders their power. They were the first teachers. Push and pull, right?”

Sylvia didn’t say anything for a long moment and she still looked far from satisfied. Eventually, she conceded and glanced back at Lux and Wilf. “Well, I’m sure you can tell Master Lux all about it in training tomorrow, hm?”

River nodded sheepishly and let out a breath of relief as they finally turned and left. 

Clara looked pale as a ghost. “We shouldn’t be here.”

“You should,” River snapped back to reality. “I’m already learning during the day. You stay here and get a proper lesson. See you at home? I’m going to do some reading!”

Clara nodded and looked at Donna who smiled assuringly. “Alright. Thank you.” She gave River a hug. “See you at home.”

-x-

“I must say,” Saxon leaned back in his seat. “Despite the damages, it really is lucky we had those iceberg collisions. We’d never have found the Northern Water Tribe if we hadn’t spent the extra day looking here.”

A few generals sat around the table including Idris. Masked guards were stationed by the door and if one of them was tense beneath his armor, no one noticed. 

“We’ll send word to the closest post for some reinforcements. We’re going to need a lot of ships.”

“If I may, Commander Saxon,” Idris spoke as calmly as she could manage, “the Water Tribe is a powerful force… is this the best course of action?”

“I’m glad you ask.” Saxon grinned in a way that sent chills up her spine. “I do not plan to use a full invasion force if I do not have to. I will be infiltrating the northern tribe myself and obtaining the avatar. The ships are precautionary, General. If things go wrong while I’m inside, I’ll send a signal to attack.”

Idris swallowed. “A very well thought plan, Commander. And once she’s in your custody?”

“We must keep her sedated with round the clock guards. Wouldn’t want to make a mess now. You know your orders. General Rou, you’ll retrieve more men. The rest of you know your orders. Dismissed.”

Idris left the meeting escorted by one of the masked guards. 

“He’s insane,” she whispered. 

John didn’t remove his faceplate but it was clear he wasn’t taking this very well. “This is my fault, aunt. If I hadn’t sabotaged the night shift…”

“Do not blame yourself, John. You were only trying to prevent what was inevitable.”

John sighed. “Aunt… I’m going to follow him.”

Idris stopped in her tracks, eyes wide. “What? No, you can’t be serious.”

“I am serious. If he gets his hands on her, he’ll kill her. I just know it. That ‘sedation’ stuff is a lie. She’ll fight back and he’ll kill her. I can’t let that happen, aunt. I can’t. ”

Idris sighed. “I understand, nephew, but this is dangerous. You’ll be sentenced to death for treason if you get caught. And that’s not including the dangers you’d have to face to succeed.” 

John nodded. “He’s probably going to call the full attack whether he needs it or not. People are going to die and I can stop it.”

Idris looked at her nephew with wide eyes. “Please, _please_ be careful.”

He took her hand and squeezed. “I will. I promise.”


	11. Trial and Error

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lux was furious, staring her down with rage that could put a fire bender to shame. “You will have your things packed and leave our tribe by sunset.”
> 
> River scoffed. “What are you going to do? Make me?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update folks! I got a new job and had an orientation for the last few days. But I'm not scheduled for future Tuesdays so all should go back to normal.

**Chapter Eleven: Trial and Error**

“You actually learned something yesterday.” Lux's voice held a hint of sarcasm that put River on edge. The water sphere in her hands burst into little droplets of water and Lux outright grinned at her. “Too bad you can’t keep up in my lessons.” 

He had questioned her about the moon spirit and the ocean spirit for almost fifteen minutes while also making her redo all the exercises of yesterday. River was on edge like hell and she really wanted to punch the man.

River really wondered how both his daughter  _ and _ granddaughter could be such nice people with a douchebag like this in their family tree. River had met Evangelista during dinner yesterday and Charlotte was the girl River had helped yesterday night.

“It proves that our rule that women are not allowed to fight has a reason.” 

_ I need a reason to not turn you into Caan two. _ River thought and took a deep breath. She wouldn’t let her anger get the better of her. No, she was better than that asshole. So instead of attacking him, River did the one thing she was able to do without getting into trouble. She created one large sphere with almost all the water from around the place. Most of the students around her stopped and even Lux stopped and starred. Out of the corner of her eyes, River saw Clara and a bunch of girls. Donna stood on the steps into the hall. River met Lux's eyes and grinned. The sphere burst with a mighty splash right over Lux’s head.

There was an unholy silence as Lux slowly closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “How dare you?” His voice was heard over the whole square. 

River shrugged innocently. “It seems like you are right. I can’t keep up with your lessons.”

River’s grin grew when she heard Clara and the girls giggle. Lux’s gaze hardened. “Alright. If you don’t appreciate the fact that my tribe bends it traditions for you, traditions that are just as old as our tribe, and respects me, then you will no longer be my student!”

This time the silence was loaded. 

River just stared at Lux who turned away from her and barked at his students, the girls and Clara couldn’t close their mouths and Donna had stiffened.

_ It’s a lie! _ A soft voice said next to Donna and River whirled around. Next to Donna stood Melody. She looked just as angry as River felt.

_ It was never a tration to ignore women, just because men were threatened by their talent. _

“What do you mean, Melody?” River notices how the people turned to look at her, but she ignored it. She was the Avatar, guess what she could see spirits, so shut up. __

_ Long ago, a really really long time ago before the war, someone took all the benders away. So they made a rule that women couldn’t bend to protect them from getting captured but after time, they forgot. Over time, it just became a rule to make women smaller. _

River listened intently to the little girl. “How do you know all that?”

_ Sarah told me. She was the water avatar before you…not the one before you were a man. She was the one before him! _

River looked at Lux who still had his back to her. “Master Lux, I don’t disregard your tradition because I disrespect your tribe. I disregard it because you do.”

Lux frowned refusing to look at her. “Excuse me?!”

“You’ve never given me a good reason why women shouldn’t learn water bending. Are you afraid of them?”

Lux scoffed dismissively, “The very insinuation proves you know nothing.”

“No,” River stood her ground, “It proves I know everything. I know your tribe has forgotten the horrors of getting your benders abducted from their homes.”

This time, Lux turned, his face red with anger. “How dare you suggest to know more about our history than we do!”

“You have amazing female benders in this tribe,” River pressed. “Martha is skilled beyond measure from what I hear. Your princess is the best teacher I’ve ever seen. Your own granddaughter is amazing and so full of talent. Can’t you see that?”

Whispers spread among the onlookers as they watched. River didn’t care about any of that now. She understood who she was looking at: a man who wanted to be revered. A man who used the system in place to keep his political power. 

“I want to speak with your council,” River said calmly, surprised she was able to keep a lid on it. Even Melody looked proud. “I’m going to make a case to change your rules.”

Lux was furious, staring her down with rage that could put a fire bender to shame. “You will have your things packed and leave our tribe by sunset.”

River scoffed. “What are you going to do? Make me?”

Lux clenched his fist and River did the same.

“Okay, hold on now,” Donna came closer, putting herself in the middle of the standoff. “Everyone take a breath now. Lux, you have no jurisdiction to ban the Avatar from here.”

It was like someone had put a wet cloth on him the way Lux paled. 

“And,” Donna added. “She has the right to be heard by the council, even if she isn’t of our tribe. 

“B-but…” Lux sputtered. 

“You heard the woman,” River said smugly. She could die happy for the look on Lux’s face right now. “And you might find I can be very persuasive.”

“We’ll see,” he scowled.

To both River and Lux’s surprise, Donna managed to summon most of the council together in ten minutes. Despite it being the middle of the day, an audience of benders and non-benders alike watched into the debate. 

River took a breath as she stood in the main hall. Lux was beside her looking quite cross and each council member showed no emotion at all.

_ “It’s tradition.” _ Melody was on River’s other side, holding her hand.  _ “Sarah said that they’re not supposed to show emotion or bias when stuff like this gets decided.” _

River smiled weakly at her friend, trying to talk discreetly so no one thought she was crazy. “Make them look like statues. Don’t you think?”

Melody giggled.  _ “They look funny to me.” _

Their conversation was cut short as Wilfred spoke up to the gathered people. Despite the rules, he had a warm expression on. “We will now discuss the issue of combative bending and who may practice it. Lux, you may speak.”

River glared at her teacher, hardly listening to what he was saying. It was all tradition, tradition, tradition. Millennia of traditions. Hierophants, the lot of them. Didn’t anyone want to be a little different? Sure, some things were nice to keep—stories, festivals, and a nice costume here and there, but there wasn’t any historical value to keeping women from fighting. 

“Besides, this is an issue of  _ our _ tribe.  _ We _ ’ve been doing those things for millennia. For as long as we can think. Not once did we change our minds, when another Avatar came to learn from us. But suddenly, just because this girl—”

Lux whirled around and pointed an accusing finger at River. River tried her best to ignore the finger and instead looked at the stone faces of the people around her. Donna was slipping. Her face filled with fear and hope and so was the face of every girl and woman.

“--Appears after seventy years and suddenly we have to change? Great council, I ask you do  _ we--  _ who withstood the fire nation for so long-- bow to a little girl?”

There were murmurs in River head, just quiet enough that she couldn’t understand the words, but loud enough to know that the other Avatars weren't happy with the way River- and therefore them- were talked at.

River just smiled and waited.  _ Our time will come, my friends, s _ he promised and the voices quieted a bit.

The council shared nervous glances, clearly unsure how to act to this accusation and some other members of the tribe started to glare and whisper, but River just looked at Donna. The redhead had paled quite a bit and River did her best to calm her from afar.

River’s calm facade almost slipped when a necklace slipped out of the collar of Donna's dress. It was like hers, a blue ribbon with a charm. A white koi fish.  _ NO _

“Avatar River?” She turned barley suppressing her suddenly gasping breath and looked at Wilfred who looked back at her worriedly. Maybe her panic was showing. Lux’s gleaming eyes made River realize that they could all see the panic on her face.

“Yes?” She mumbled weakly and the girls around her shifted almost in unison. 

“Your turn.”

_ “You can do it, River!” _ Melody appeared just before her, smiling up at her.  _ We are with you. _ River smiled and took a deep breath. She tried to remember the feeling of Melody’s hands on hers and the calming presence of all the Avatars in her head. River nodded and stepped one step forward.

“I am the Avatar.” She declared and Lux snorted.

“Is that all you got? Your title? Are you going to demand things because of  _ who _ you are? How about all the time you weren’t here to—” 

“LUX!” This time it wasn’t Wilf, but Sylvia who spoke. Her voice thundered through the hall and everyone flinched. “Avatar River has shown you respect, by letting you speak your mind in peace. Do the same.”

He shut up after that, but the superior gleam didn’t leave his eyes.

_ I’m here River _ .

“I am the Avatar and as such, I am the bridge between our world and the Spirit world.” Some of the cold facades broke and wonder showed on the faces around her. River turned in a try to look at them all.

“It’s been only months since I found out that I’m the Avatar and most of the time I don’t want to be who I am, BUT.” River turned back to the council. “I learned one thing. The spirits are always with us. I dream of two every night, Melody is my best friend, my guide in the dark. Spirits are always with us and the spirits of the former Avatars are always with me!”

River turned to Lux who for the first time he looked nervous. 

“I know nobody will believe me if _ I _ tell you, that this  _ tradition _ is not thousands of years old. No one will believe me if I tell you that this rule was made to protect your tribe from falling apart and then forgotten.”

River felt Melody take her hand and another spirit appeared in front of River. A woman, much older than River, but still beautiful. She stood proud and tall, even though she was shorter than River. There was an air around her that made River smile and hug the other woman. Like her mother, both of them always felt. Warm and save.

“Maybe” River almost whispered. “Maybe you will believe one of your own. An Avatar who is from the Northern Tribe and from the time this  _ tradition _ was made. Let me be the voice of Avatar Sarah Jane, one of your own.”

There were audible gasps both from the council and from the onlookers around the room. Sarah Jane smiled and turned to face the council.

_ “They can see her now,”  _ Melody whispered. “ _ I know you could do it.” _

Truthfully, River wasn’t sure how she was doing any of this, but it seemed to be working. 

“It was before the War,” River’s mouth started to move and speak without her control. River realized Sarah was speaking now in perfect time with River’s own voice. She sounded like a chorus. It was a strange feeling, but River tried not to fight it and just let it happen.

“Over one hundred years ago when the Fire Nation first came to power. Our tribe was not how you see today. We spread out over the ocean, had many cities and ports, but then the raids started. Small at first, fire nation soldiers would take our food and burn our homes. We grew smaller and retreated further into the North. We stopped trusting others, stopped our trade missions, and made ourselves small. It wasn’t enough. They wanted more and that is when they started taking people.”

The council didn’t look surprised by any of this information, though Lux and the rest of their audience had their mouths wide open. 

“They took benders, men and women, alike. Not a single one of them ever returned here. No one ever knew what happened or what the fire nation did. A great change came over our tribe. We fortified what was left here in the shelter of this mainland that you know now. We forbade bending all together for a while—it was too risky to be seen water bending for many years. 

Look at our sibling from the southern tribe. They are ruined. Most of the men left to fight. Only the old and young are left and there are no benders any longer. The only bender they had, is here with us now. Eventually, the council at the time allowed men to relearn the craft. Their reasoning was as such: if the women of the tribe were taken, the tribe would fall apart. If the men were taken, we would move forward with little damage done.”

Lux looked offended at the implication that men were worthless. Out of the corner of River’s eye, she saw Donna smirk.

“I speak to you now to tell you this, the world is changing once more. Our tribe can no longer hide in the shadows like cowards. We watch as other nations suffer the way we did and do nothing. That cannot be how we are remembered: as cowards who refused to lend aid to those in need.”

River could feel her head starting to spin. She’d never spoken for the spirits before and her control on things was getting hard to maintain.

“Our resources are plenty. Our benders are plenty. Our generosity can be, too, if only you let it.”

Sarah went silent, her image fading.

“WAIT!” Everyone turned around to see Donna standing in her place, her eyes wide, one hand outstretched. Sarah Jane solidified for a moment, her outline more clear. “Yes?”

“I just have one question.” Sarah Jane just nodded to her to continue. Donna took a deep breath. “So you're telling me, all those years Master Lux had no right to tell me and the other girls, his  _ daughter _ and  _ granddaughter _ , that they aren’t worth enough to be allowed bending?”

River felt a surge of power coursing through her body and flames started to lick her knuckles. It was almost like anger but it didn’t belong to her.

“No, he had no right!” Sarah Jane’s form was clearer than ever before. Her forehead creased in a frown. 

Donna positively beamed. “Can I…?” she asked and made a hand gesture. Sarah Jane stepped back and River felt her body do the same.

“Be my guest.”

Donna raised her arms in one grand gesture in what River realized was one of the hardest bending moves a water bender could achieve. All around them a thin layer of ice from the walls turned into water. The water formed a large wave about Donna’s head and with another much faster movement, all of it crashed into Lux's body quite literally flushing him out of the great hall. 

Some people stared after the Master, a faint  _ thud _ audible in the distance. River, like most of the others, looked at Donna who stood her, between her proud grandfather and her gaping mother, positively beaming. “I’ve been waiting to do that for years!”

Every single girl and woman starred to cheer and Sarah Jane faded for good this time, her laughter mixing with the cheers.

River fell to her knees, gasping for air. She felt like she’d just run the whole length of the Earth Kingdom. She was too exhausted to hear Melody congratulating her, busy trying not to pass out.

Suddenly arms were wrapping around her and someone was hugging River tightly. River didn’t fight it, she didn’t have the energy to if she wanted.

Eventually, the hugger pulled away and faced River. It was a young woman about the same age as River. Her skin was a deep warm brown and her hair short almost to the scalp. “Thank you!”

“Um,” River was still panting, “You’re welcome?”

They stared at each other for a moment until the stranger realized she was still a stranger. “Oh! Sorry. I’m Anita. I was watching you, I mean, I saw you around. At the welcome dinner? And I watched you practice with Lux yesterday.”

“Oh. Right. Er, well… don’t worry about it. It was a dumb rule and someone had to say something.”

“I thought no one ever would! I dress up as a boy sometimes just to get some practice in without being nagged at. You’re amazing, you know that?”

River smiled weakly. She didn’t mind the praise, but her head was pounding from the ordeal and all the noise in the great hall. “I’d love to talk… but maybe we can go somewhere quieter? That took a lot out of me.”

“What?” Anita blinked at River twice and then suddenly she was a blur of motion. Surprisingly, she managed to get River to her feet. Something River though really surprising since Anita was much more delicate build than River. “I know just the place,” Anita whispered into River’s ear and started to move them through the crowd.

There were several people that tried to talk to River, but Anita got them all to step back in seconds. 

“I’m sorry, but the Avatar needs rest. She may be the bridge between the worlds, but it’s still hard work to do this.”

When they left the great hall, the silence and fresh air were like a balm for River. They walked around the hall and up some stairs until they stood in front of a small wooden door near the center of the city. It didn’t seem like it was meant for people as the top of it only came up to River’s hips.

“You know,” Anita said as she sat down to open the door. “You did even more for me today than you know.” Once the door was open she got to her feet. “Thanks to you, I met my great-great-great-grandmother.” 

In her state, it took River a moment to realize what Anita had said. “What?” 

Anita grinned over her shoulder as she closed the door behind them again. “Avatar Sarah Jane. She adopted a boy, Luke and he adopted my great-grandfather. My great-grandfather would always talk about Sarah Jane— Stories about her he heard from Grandfather Luke. You gave me back a way to connect with her.”

River stayed quiet over this. She was much more interested in the fact that the air around her got warmer as she followed Anita through the door.

“Avatar River…” 

“Just River, please. Or did you call Sarah Jane ‘Avatar great-great-great-grandmother Sarah Jane’?” 

“Well then,” Anita chuckled and made a grand motion to their new surroundings. “ _ River _ , this is the spirit oasis.”

The door had opened up to a lake nestled upright against the ice cliffs. Despite the proximity to the cold, the place was warm and hosted a small island full of life. There were bushes and bamboo on the island and a decorative wooden archway.

The sight alone took Rivers' breath away. “This is amazing,” she whispered and let Anita help her over the bridges onto the grass. 

“It’s the most spiritual place our land has.” In the middle of the island was a little pond, isolated from the rest of the lake. Two fish circled each other ritualistically in the water. “Those koi there symbolize the moon and the ocean spirits and some say they are the spirits themselves.”

They sat down right next to the pond. River couldn’t take her eyes off the fish, but Anita was staring at River. “I’ve been there many times, often with Donna. She loves this place and can spend hours here just watching the koi. I get it in some ways. It’s easier to learn bending here. I don’t know why, it’s just this energy or something. Makes bending feel different. Better.”

River barely could keep up with Anita's words and maybe it was a split-second decision, because of the strain and the aura of the place, but she made her proposal before she could stop herself. “Would you like to talk to Sarah Jane?” 

Anita stopped talking and just blinked at River. “What?!”

River smiled. “To restore my energy I’ll cross over to the spirit world and you would need to watch my body lying in the grass. But I can offer you to talk to Sarah Jane. If she is in my body, while I’m in the spirit world it won’t take anything out of me. So would you like to talk to Sarah Jane?”

Anitas eyes had grown so much in size that they rivaled Claras and River giggled. 

“I’d love to. But only if it’s no problem for you and…” 

“Anita?” River stopped the girl’s rambling and smiled. “It’s no problem.”

Slipping into the spirit world was much easier here than ever before. Sarah Jane was leaning against Jaguar, with a smile, and hugged River once she was close enough.

“Thank you.” 

River didn’t bother to reply and Sarah Jane was gone in the next moment.

It was then that River’s knees buckled and she fell against Jaguar's soft fur. Tears started to roll down her cheeks and violent sobs tore their way out of River's throat.

All the clues, all the little details and moments suddenly rushed into her mind and almost drowned her in her guilt.

_ River? _ Melody stood beside her. Her eyes were huge and filled with fear and panic.  _ Are you alright? _

River shook her head. “No, no Melody I’m not. I’m…It’s Donna.” She sobbed and Melody came even closer, cuddling against River's side. 

_ What is about Donna? _

River only cried harder, not able to speak, so Melody cuddled closer.

_ River. _

_ “ _ Caan” River finally sobbed. 

_ The seer? _

“He made a prophecy. It’s about Donna.”

Melody jerked back, her eyes just as big and tears already rolling down her cheeks.  _ No! _

River felt another sob in her throat, but she fought it and thought back to the day Caan had warned her.

“ _ A moon out of the water leaves worlds in trouble _

_ But the noble red daughter may act as it’s double _

_ Tick tock goes the clock, and when then shall we see? _

_ The ocean will cry, water will die, and fire swallows thee. _

_ The sky will burn red, but the noble red will fade  _

_ the moon turns white again when all the debts are paid. _

_ And when the spirits come to dance high up in the skies, _

_ A father mourns and mother cries for sorrow of goodbyes.” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also yay we finally get to introduce anita!


	12. Journey's End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Donna sighed. “Okay, we have to assume the fire nation is here for her. You stay here, okay? You need to protect her body until she wakes up.” 
> 
> Antia’s stomach twisted. “B-but I’ve seen you fight? You’re a much better bender than me! Shouldn’t you be the one to protect her?”
> 
> “My skills are needed out there,” Donna pointed towards the city. “My people need protecting as well."

**Chapter Twelve: Journey’s End**

Talking to Sarah Jane at the spirit oasis was quite different from the ordeal in the great hall. Avatar River had somehow projected Sarah’s spirit to speak to them, but here there was no projection at all. Avatar River, or at least her body, lay still as stone in the grass. Her eyes were open and glowing with mesmerizing blue light. Anita had never seen anything like it before. 

When the Avatar spoke, her voice was not her own. It wasn’t the chorus of voices like back in the great hall, but simply another woman’s voice—older and more tired. 

Anita knew it was Sarah Jane speaking through River. It was a much calmer process than before, and it seemed Sarah couldn’t move River’s body at all this time. No wonder River had been so exhausted. 

Sarah Jane spoke a little differently now, Anita noticed. She wasn’t trying to persuade an entire tribe so the conversation held less gravitas and a bit more honesty. 

Anita has so many questions about her family and about spirits that she hardly stopped for breath. Sarah was understanding, however, and patient at that. She answered everything and Anita couldn’t remember ever being this delighted in her entire life. 

The best stories were those about Luke and his friends. According to Sarah Jane Luke and his sister Sky were one hell of a whirlwind, but with their friends Clyde and Rani they were basically a danger to the Tribe. Those stories took Anita's breath away because she was laughing too hard. 

Suddenly, Anita spotted a flare go up from the middle of the city.

When the temple shook for the first time they both startled. Anita was on her feet in seconds and Sarah Jane’s voice got an edge that made Anita nervous.

“It’s happening again.” 

“Again?” Anita stood with her back to River’s body and she wanted to turn around, but her gut told her to keep the door in her view.

_ Anita, _ Sarah Jane’s voice was hard now and Anita flinched.  _ I can’t reach River, she’s still too weak and there is another Avatar with her, but Anita, you need to protect River.  _

“What the hell is going on?” 

Just then a fireball sailed through the air and collided with the water between the bridges. Anita barely managed to bend the hot water away from them, but she didn’t need the answer from her grandmother.

“ANITA?!” The door opened and closed and Donna ran over the bridges. “Oh thank the spirits you are fine. The Fire Nation attacked and we couldn’t find you or River so we were…”

Donna stopped when she saw the blue glow off River’s eyes. “What…?”

_ Donna Noble, it's good to have another warrior with us.  _

Donna turned to Anita and just glared. “Talk, now!” 

Anita sighed and recalled the happenings of the last few hours. 

“Ok wow…she is really something else. I don’t think anyone would have suggested something like this.” 

Anita shrugged and turned back to the door. “How bad is it?” 

Donna sighed and turned from River’s body to look at the door too. “The sun is rising and the Fire Nation will have it much easier. I’m worried. Many of our people are good fighters, but especially the girls have never been in a fight scenario. I’m worried.”

_ You should be,  _ said Sarah. 

Donna couldn’t help but glare. “You shut it and bring River back now. We need her!”

“It doesn’t work like that,” Antia sighed. “River really got wiped out after that speech in the great hall. This spirit stuff takes a lot of energy.”

Donna sighed. “Okay, we have to assume the fire nation is here for her. You stay here, okay? You need to protect her body until she wakes up.” 

Antia’s stomach twisted. “B-but I’ve seen you fight? You’re a much better bender than me! Shouldn’t you be the one to protect her?”

“My skills are needed out there,” Donna pointed towards the city. “My people need protecting as well. I won’t have anyone dying at the hands of these monsters today.” Her expression was hard and Anita knew she was quite serious. “If something happens, find help, okay?”

With that, Donna started back towards the city, leaving Anita and the incapacitated River alone in the relitive safety of the oasis.

“Well, good to know I’ve got the weaker bender here.”

Anita whipped around at the voice, her heart racing in her chest. A man in fire nation armour had appeared seemingly out of nowhere. How did he get here? How long had he been listening? 

“Now,” Saxon said levelly, “If you wouldn’t mind, I’ll be taking the Avatar now.”

Anita’s expressions hardened and as quickly as she could, she pulled a protective ring of water around herself and River. “Over my dead body.”

“Now, now, I thought water benders were smarter than that.” In a swift move, Saxon blasted fire right at Anita. Anita pulled the water closer and steam filled the area as the two elements collided. 

She glanced back at River anxiously. “Please wake up. Please wake up!”

Saxon seemed angrier now, blindly shooting pits of fire in their direction. Anita managed to block most of them and dodge others, though the flora and architecture of the place was taking quite a beating.

She was right next to River now, trying no to step on the Avatar. River’s finger twitched slightly brushing Anita’s ankle. The young bender flinched but suddenly regained control of her breath. With the spark of power, she redirected her strength and slammed Saxon with a wall of water. 

He was sent flying into the surrounding cliffs, but Anita didn’t stop there. She kept the water coming, freezing it into ice and immobilizing the attacker. 

She stopped to catch her breath once he was trapped and stared in awe at the ice prison she’d created. Had she really been able to do all that herself?

“You little peasant!” Saxon shouted, struggling against the ice. 

Anita snorted and kept a defensive stance.

“Oh thank the gods.” 

Anita whirled around once again to find yet another fire bender had snuck in. Where the hell were they coming from. 

She raised a shard of ice at him when he quickly took a surrendering stance. “No, no! I’m here to help! I’m on your side!”

“Fat chance,” Anita hissed.

Saxon stopped struggling for a moment, staring at the new commer. “Prince John. Why am I not surprised.”

“Prince??” Anita gasped. “Oh, hell no.” She swiped with her hand and suddenly John’s feet were encased in ice and he couldn’t move.

“Banished price!” John shouted, nearly falling over as his feet froze. “Dishonored prince because my father didn’t want me helping you!”

“Dishonored for weakness,” Saxon shouted across to him.

Anita wasn’t sure who to look at but didn’t dare let her guard down. She could really use a hand right now. 

“Look,” John started. To his credit, he didn’t show any aggression unlike the other firebender who was trying his hardest to melt the ice. “I’m not here to hurt anyone. I’m here to stop him.” He pointed at Saxon. “He means to kill the Avatar and the moon spirit! Hell, if you don’t believe me he tried to kill me, my aunt AND the cook, just because none of us wanted to work with him!”

Anita snorted. “You can’t kill the moon spirit.”

The first fire bender, Saxon? Just laughed. “Of course you can! After all you are standing next to them.” Anita just stared at Saxon. 

“The fish.” The prince behind her whispered with realization. “Oh I’m dumb. The dumbest idiot to exist!” 

Anita turned and blinked at him. “Are you always like that?” 

The prince just shrugged. “Would you believe me if I said no?”

_ No. _ Anita snorted at the deadpan voice of Sarah Jane behind her and John just shrugged. 

“Worth a try.” He mumbled and Anita giggled again. Maybe he wasn’t that…

“WATCH OUT!” Suddenly the prince was screaming and before Anita could realise what was happening the prince was bending fire too and then he stood between her, River and Saxon.

There was an explosion of heat and too much light and Anita just reacted. The water around her rose at once and then Saxon was flying. It was a lot like Lux a few hours back, but Anita couldn’t really smile this time. 

“You saved me!” Anita whispered, completely shocked. The prince of the fire nation stood next to her and defended her? She must be hallucinating.

“Yeah. I do that when I can.” He smiled sheepishly. “He’ll be back, though. We don’t have much time.” They both turned to look at River. “What’s wrong with her?”

“She’s in the spirit world and a different avatar is speaking through her in the meantime.”

_ That would be me,  _ said Sarah with River's mouth.

John would have jumped out of his boots if his feet weren’t still frozen to the spot. “What the— okay… that might just be the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen.”

Anita sighed and unfroze John’s feet. “Don’t make me regret doing that.”

John nodded gratefully and looked over at the koi fish circling each other in the center pond. “So… that’s really the ocean and moon spirit?”

“I guess.” Anita shrugged. “I heard rumors about it, but I thought it was just a story.”

“Stories are funny like that,” John whispered as he kneeled in the grass next to River. None of the fire had touched her to his relief. “Where’s the eelhound? She usually has an eelhound.”

“Oh, I think she’s in the stables. Spends most of the day there. Poor thing is probably really scared right now.”

John nodded again, his expression a little more solemn. “I’m sure lots of people are.”

“So… you really got banished?” Antia asked after a second.

John sighed. “Yeah. I did. There was this meeting and Father wanted to burn a town and…” he shook his head. “Spoke out of turn. Silly, really.”

Anita wrinkled her nose. “Are you going to kill him?”

The question caught John off guard and he stared at her. “What?”

“That other guy who wants to kill River. Are you going to kill him?”

“Well… um… —”

Before John could fully answer, the door to the oasis burst open again. Clara rode in on Cal with Lux not far behind. “Get away from her!”

John paled and Anita stood between them. “Hey, he’s not one of them!”

“Tell that to Kyoshi island!” Clara hissed.

Anita turned to John. “You’d better go. We can protect her.”

John nodded looking at River one last time. “Keep your guard up. Saxon is a menace.” He bowed to Anita and smiled. “My aunt will arrive soon, she can help.” He whispered and then he was running down the other bridge.

“Are you alright?” Anita looked at Clara and had to push down a snarl. 

“Yeah, thanks to him!” She bit out and looked in the direction Saxon had disappeared. 

“Wait, what?” 

Anita twiched at Luxs voice, but sighed. “There is another firebender here. He wants to kill both River and the moon spirit and…” 

“Under no circumstances can we let that happen.” The voice of a woman cut through the air and all of them turned to find an old lady walking up to them, yet another firebender. 

_ The dragon of the west.  _ Sarah Jane’s said and this time only Lux and Anita jumped. 

The old lady turned to River and smiled. “Avatar Sarah Jane, it’s been a while.”

_ The spirits still follow your steps, Lady Idris, most of them fondly. _

The old Lady grinned and bowed. “I do my best.” 

“Wait” Clara sputtered, “How do you,” She pointed at the fire lady, “know her?” Clara pointed back at River. 

_ Lady Idris is sensitive to us and we seek her out because of it. It’s hard to find someone who is willing to listen to us! _

“And,” Idris added, “spirit’s know great tea recipes!” 

Anita snorted. 

“Oh I really hate you!” Everyone whirled around to find Saxon kneeling in front of the pond, his hands in the water. “But you are a nice distraction!” 

Lux, Clara, Anita, and Idris jumped into defensive positions. Even Cal snarled and moved closer to River protectively. 

“Such sour faced, you lot,” Saxon sneered. “You really think you can just attack me this time?”

“I had the upper hand before, and I can do it again,” Anita growled. 

“You miscalculate, little girl.” Saxon stood and as he did revealed the bag he was holding, wiggling with a captured fish. As the bag left the water, the sky seemed to darken and grow redder. 

The three water benders winced and the shift like they were in pain. Idris’s frown deeped. “Saxon, you will let that spirit go and do it now!”

“Or what?” 

It was only two words but the weight of them landed on Idris and she deflated. If she attacked, he’d kill the spirit. If she didn’t, he’d kill anyways. Idris lowered her fists slowly. “Saxon, I know your goal here is to weaken the water tribe, but they are not the only people who need the moon. You’ll be hurting the fire nation, too.”

The water benders tried to stand to attention and push away the horrible feeling of spiritual turmoil. “She’s right,” said Lux. “Every nation needs the balance of the ocean and moon to thrive. You have no idea the kind of chaos you’d set on the world.”

Saxon didn’t look impressed. “Chaos, hm? Perhaps a trade is in order then?”

The four of them looked between each other uneasily.

“See,” Saxon hummed like he had all the time in the world. “I’m not leaving here empty handed. This spirit is important, hm? As important as, oh let say… her?” He pointed at the Avatar.

Anita snarled. “Not a chance!”

“Wait,” Lux put a hand on Anita’s shoulder only for her to shake it off. “We might not have a choice.”

The others looked at him sideways and Clara fought the urge to slap the man. “No! We’re not letting him have River!”

“The Avatar can be reborn,” Lux said and Idris looked hesitantly persuaded. “The moon spirit cannot. You have to trust me. Our bending is nothing right now. Even if we wanted to save them both, we  _ can’t _ .”

Anita lowered her fists as did Clara. They shared the same look of shame and anger. It wasn’t a choice anyone wanted to make, especially after all that River had done for each other. Would the Avatar want this?

Saxon yawned. “Getting bored over here. Ten seconds to decide or I’m making the choice for you.”

“We accept,” Lux announced. Clara squeezed her eyes shut and Anita starred a hole into the side of Lux’s head but said nothing. “Please place the spirit back now, and we will give you the Avatar.”

Saxon smirked and lowered himself once again, carefully placing the bag into the water without releasing the fish yet.

In the next few seconds time seemed to slow down to a crawl. It was Lux who made the sudden movement; one step forwards and a stroke of his arm and suddenly a spike of ice was rising right towards Saxon’s face. 

Only the ice didn’t go through Saxon’s head. The firebender, as if predicting this, had moved himself just far enough back and the spirit just far enough forward that the ice went right through the bag and into the fish.

River screamed.

Anita and Clara turned around to see the Avatar sitting bolt upright and clutching her head in pain. Idris on the other hand had snapped and was unleashing an impressive barrage of fire at Saxon. Lux simply froze in place, gasping and sputtering at what he’d done.

“River,” Anita was the first to turn to River, she tried to touch her, but before she could do this River stood up. The light in her eyes seemed dimmed, but there was an anger radiating from her that turned the air into fire. 

“WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?” It wasn’t River’s voice or Sarah Jane’s, but a chorus of voices angry and powerful. Both Saxon and Lux paled and stepped back. 

Behind them the door to the oasis opened and Donna and Wilf ran into the area. “What happened…Oh no.” Wilf froze in his place, fixed on the bloody water and the black koi frantically swimming in it. “No please no.” He whispered and his eyes met River’s.

Anita wasn’t sure what the two of them knew, but it seemed that River and Wilfred were holding a silent conversation.

Saxon on the other hand was moving. 

“HEY!” Both Clara and Anita called after him at the same moment, but neither of them could do much. Their bending was gone.

“Don’t worry.” River mumbled and stepped into the pond. Idris gasped. “I can deal with them.”

Anita watched with a cold feeling in her gut how River stepped into the water until she was knee deep in the middle of the pond and then got pulled down and disappeared under the water. “What is happening?” She mumbled and then a gentle hand pulled her and Donna back. 

“She is merging with the ocean spirit.” The old lady said. “I’ve read about it, but never saw it.” 

The water rippled and then the blue light that had shown in River’s eyes erupted in the pool. A giant liquid creature rose from the pond and around them the water moved with it.

“We need to find a way to bring the moon spirit back.” Idris whispered her eyes fixed on the creature as it stepped over the wall and into the city. “That, or the balance will be torn apart forever.”

“I can help.” Donna stepped up to the pond and gently pulled the limp koi off of the ice spike and into hands. Aita noticed how Wilf straightened. “I may be a warrior, but I also learned healing. Master Martha told us the water of the pond can heal the most grave injuries.” 

Donna looked up and a weak smile was on her lips. “I can try it right?”

Wilfred said nothing and gave a short nod, but Idris was frowning. “I’ve read about this too… but this injury is too great. They only way to fix it is to transfer existing life force… oh.”

“I know.” Donna smiled sadly.

“Wait, no! Princess Donna, don’t.” Anita rushed to her side. “Our tribe needs you, let me do it. You’re too important!”

Donna sighed and shook her head. “You don’t have your bending. None of you have your bending without the moon. But I have smoothing left to give. Long story, but I’m the only one who has a chance at fixing this.”

Clara was still completely confused and watched as Donna lowered the fish back into the water. 

The pond started to glow. It wasn’t the dangerous blue glow that River has displayed before, but the soft white glow of healing that Clara recognized from Martha’s class.

Wilfred had come up behind Donna as she focused on the task. The sky above them paled and the angry red hue faded. Donna’s head seemed to fade as well, going from it’s brilliant red to a pure white.

She finally fell back in Wilfred’s waiting arms with a proud expression. Wilfred tried to smile at his granddaughter, but his lower lip was wobbling too much. He held Donna tightly as breath escaped her and her body dissipated into thin air.

In the pond, the white koi fish circled calmly as it had done before.

Clara’s jaw was wide open. “What the hell just happened.”

“She saved us,” Anita sniffled. Wilfred was sniffling as well. Both Lux and Idris bowed their heads respectively. 

“B-but where did she go?” Clara sputtered. “The fish… she saved the fish. Everything’s okay now right? Where is she?”

“She’s gone,” Idris whispered.

_ Actually.  _ The voice came from right above the pond where an appeartion appeared. Donna floated there in a semi transparent form. She wore a flowing white gown now. She reached up and took off a necklace from around her neck and placed it into Wilfred’s hands.  _ Gotochya, Gramps. _

With that, her form faded once more and if one looked closely, they could see the moon setting on the horizon.

Wilfred, still sniffing, looked in his palm at the necklace. It was a beautifully carved white koi fish strung on a bit of blue satin. He closed his palm and held it close to his chest. 

Clara sank to the ground, just staring. “She’s dead.”

“She is one with the moon spirit,” Lux supplied. “She is here, in a sense. But never again in the way we knew before.”

As the waterbenders grieved, Idris silently left the oasis. It would take her a few hours to find her nephew. When she did, she would find him badly beaten. She would steal a small ship and sail them out of the Northern Tribe and go unnoticed among the wreckage of the battle ships. In the Earth Kingdom, she would change their names and care for John until he was back to health and after that… well after that they would have to run.

Lux on the other hand stayed near the pond and waited. He had caused chaos tonight and he knew he would pay for it. “Wilf,” he whispered as the ocean spirit returned to the oasis and approached them again. “Please take care of my family.” 

The giant spirit stopped in the water before the little green island and Lux stepped in front of it. River was in the heart of the great water creature, but it was clear she was not in control.

“I’m sorry for what I did, it wasn’t my intention, but the harm I cause is still unacceptable.” Lux lamented. “I will accept your punishment.”

The water creature bowed down and wrapped one large hand around Lux. The angry blue light made it impossible to see anything for a long moment, but when it died down the creature was gone and River layed on the grass next to the pond. The blue glow had gone from her eyes which were closed now. 

Lux kneeled where he had stood before staring at his hands, his head bowed. “I accept your punishment.” He whispered again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaand that wraps up "book water" in parallel to the AtLA cannon. Time for book earth :D


	13. The Regular

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It had taken quite an amount of adjusting to their new names in the Earth Kingdom. After Idris had found John in the North they had come straight here. It wasn’t on purpose exactly—they had escaped on nothing more than a raft made of driftwood and the ocean current had led them aimlessly through arctic waters. It was something of a miracle that they had found any healers in the mainland to help John.

**Chapter Thirteen:** The Regular

River and Clara stayed in the North for another month. Partly because River had been unconscious for a week after the whole attack, and partly to finish up the water bending training. At least that was what River thought. 

With Lux’s bending gone, Wilfred and a few other council members took over training the benders. Lux got resigned to be Martha’s assistant, mostly keeping the boys focused during healing lessons. There was no shortage of injured soldiers to practice healing on.

It had been Clara’s idea to make the voyage to the Southern Tribe. River knew she couldn’t return yet and with Clara needing an escort, Wilfred agreed to send several ships to the south for a rebuilding effort. 

Clara and the crew left without much fuss. No one was scared in the same way River and Clara had been when leaving the South Pole— Clara was excited in fact to go home and share her adventures with the tribe.

River seemed to be the only one left with a pit in her stomach. She so badly wanted to see her living parents and make sure they were okay. Clara would tell them everything, of course, and River had even demanded that if anything went wrong that she should be notified as soon as possible. 

Clara had become such an amazing bender over the last few weeks that River wasn’t terribly worried about her holding her own. In fact, the women of the tribe had all advanced so quickly with their bending that they put the boys to shame. Anita was perhaps the most advanced of the newly taught bender that she was practically a master now. 

River tried her best to keep up practicing while she recovered from the siege, but she was slowing down. So much had happened that night that she was still processing it all. Memories of it even kept her up most nights. The power she had summoned was unlike anything she’d ever done before and with it, she had wreaked destruction. Fire Nation soldiers had died because of her. She had killed them. 

It didn’t help that her roommate had left already and she was alone again. Maybe it was time for her to move on as well.

Wilfred was the one to insist that Anita traveled with River. River almost started to protest, but she saw something in his eyes. A haunted look that reminded her too much of her own reflection. And thinking about Donna made every bit of protest die in her throat. So she just nodded quietly. It wasn’t a bad idea, after all, River still needed a waterbending teacher while she looked for an earthbending one. Anita agreed to the arrangement enthusiastically. 

A week after Clara had left, River departed with Anita and a small boat back towards the Earth Kingdom.

“Be careful.” Wilfred had his finger locked around Rivers and she managed something of a smile. It didn’t come easy to her, especially not with her dreams that had less and less of Melody in them. More often than not her dreams were nothing but a hell pit of flames. Sometimes there was a man in the flames. He was old and bowed over as if there was some kind of weight on his back he couldn’t quite shake off. Those dreams left River even more tired, but it was the dreams about a girl that truly twisted her gut.

It always started with earth all around River and dark shadows getting closer and closer until suddenly there was a person in the darkness. They wore a mix of silver and green. River called out to the figure every night, but in the end, the ground beneath them always opened and they disappeared, just for River to follow a few seconds later and jolt awake.

Wilf patted River’s hand once more, waking her quite effectively from her spiraling thoughts before he turned to Anita. “You too, you hear me girl?” He asked and before Anita could say anything he pulled something over Anita’s head and hugged her. “You will bring this back to me, understood?”

River heard Sylvia gasping in the background when the thing turned out to be Donna's necklace. “I…” Anita started to protest, but Wilf just grinned and patted her cheek. 

“Just bring it back. Until then my Donna will look out for you!” 

He turned away and disappeared in the crowd before anyone could protest and River felt a lump in her throat. Cal beneath her made a low whining sound and turned her head up to River. “I know, girl. I know…”

-x-

Despite its proximity to Ba Sing Se, the state of Chu had small towns similar to those of the southern earth kingdom. There were regulars in the Gaipan tea shop, Idris had noted over a few weeks of people watching. Most of them she recognized from the town as folks who lived here already, but there was one girl who only came on weekends. 

She was a tall young woman with big hair and skin the color of rich earth. She always dressed in old clothes that were so faded they practically looked like something a sand binder would wear. Most other customers in the shop, despite the poor wealth of the state, at least made an effort to keep the green and silver tones of their clothes bright and clean.

The regular always ordered the same thing: two Jasmine teas. No milk, but a bit of sugar. Idris would watch every week as she sipped away at one cup and never touched the other.

“Maybe it’s a ritual or something,” John said when Idris mentioned it to him. 

Idris always made sure to give John a bigger serving of dinner than herself. He was still healing up from the siege, even all these weeks later. He was well enough to help with the shop, but he mostly stayed to the back and washed dishes with the owner of the shop. He claimed he didn’t want anyone to recognize him, just in case.

Idris wondered if he was ashamed, but never pushed him about it.

“Maybe,” Idris replied.

“Did you ask her name yet? It’s been weeks.” 

“Bill,” she said slowly. “Strange name. Can’t tell if she’s making it up.”

John shrugged. “Does it matter, ‘Mrs. Sidra’?”

She chuckled. “I guess not,  _ Lee.” _

It had taken quite an amount of adjusting to their new names in the Earth Kingdom. After Idris had found John in the North they had come straight here. It wasn’t on purpose exactly—they had escaped on nothing more than a raft made of driftwood and the ocean current had led them aimlessly through arctic waters. It was something of a miracle that they had found any healers in the mainland to help John

Their luck kept up when Idris managed to get this job at the tea shop. Idris liked the shop quite a great deal and took a lot of pride in her work.

“We can’t stay here forever,” John had said during his recovery. “Someone is going to recognize us sooner or later.” New names and new clothes weren’t going to be enough but for now, it would have to do.

Bill ordered her usual today. Two jasmine teas, no milk, and a little sugar. The second cup always went cold and untouched by her.

Idris watched from the other side of the shop, restless today. It wasn’t that she long for their life back in the Fire Nation, she just felt stuck. Tea was lovely, but day after day of checking John's injuries and keeping quiet in the shop was lacking. 

Against John’s advice, Idris made conversation with Bill. From their brief conversation last week, Idris knew Bill was from the east of here by a few towns. “Why do you come all this way for tea,” Idris asked today.

Bill shrugged. “It’s good tea.”

“You don’t drink half of it.” Idris nodded to the second, still full cup.

Bill looked slightly embarrassed. “It’s not for me, Mrs. Sidra.”

Idris looked at her sideways. “Who is it for then?”

“That boy in the back. With the limp?”

Idris looked shocked and glanced over to the doorways to the kitchen. If one watched for a while, one could see John slowly making his way around the kitchen to collect dishes.

“That’s… very sweet of you,” she whispered. 

“You two work hard here. You don’t often get to sit down and try what you make, do you?”

“I suppose not.”

“It’s temporary, you know.”

Idris blinked. “What?”

“The limp.” Bill pointed to the back where John was. “He got hurt, or something, right? But I know what a chronic limp looks like, and  _ that _ is not a permanent thing.”

Idris wasn’t sure how to respond to this. It seemed Bill had been watching them just as much as they’d been watching her. The customer spoke with an educated tongue and Idris couldn’t help but wonder why on earth Billed dressed like that.

“How do you know what a chronic limp looks like?”

“Well, there’s this girl in my town…” Bill started and paused. Idris couldn’t help but smile to herself. She recognized Bill’s puppy love expression as easily as she did on John. 

“She’s an amazing bender,” Bill continued. “Really just incredible. But she’s got this thing with her muscles. Had it since she was born, I think. It’s like, her legs don’t respond to her brain as fast as it should be. Her parents think she’s weak for it but she works around it easily. They don’t know how incredible she is.”

“And does this incredible bender have a name?”

“Heather,” Bill blushed. 

Idris hummed with a knowing tone. “You know, you could bring your second cup home with you. We have travel mugs and I’m sure Heather would like it.”

Bill looked like an excited puppy at the thought and agreed eagerly to the idea. 

“You meddle too much,” John said when Idris returned to the kitchen to get the travel cup.

“I meddle the perfect amount,” Idris replied smugly. “Besides, the poor thing was clearly pinning. I’m just  _ helping _ .”

“You’re playing cupid.” John rolled his eyes playfully.

Idris’s expression changed to a more mischievous one. “Oh, this is nothing. You’ll  _ know _ when I’m playing cupid.”

John tried not to blush and focused on washing the dishes. “You’re getting attached. We’re leaving this place once I’m well enough.”

Idris deflated slightly. “Nothing wrong with making friends.”

John just looked away and huffed. 

“The tea is for you by the way!” 

He stopped at that and turned back to his aunt. “What?” 

He was met with a wide grin. “Bill noticed your limp and thought she would buy the tea for you so you could rest.” 

That caught him off guard. Just like the water tribe girl during the siege had caught him off guard when she actually had trusted him. “She what?” 

His aunt laughed and hit his shoulder hard enough to make him stumble. A moment later he realized that she had pushed him in the direction of the girl. “Take a break.” His aunt ordered and shushed him away.

Awkwardly John stepped out from the back and hesitantly went towards Bill’s table. Just before he was about to turn back to the counter, Bill looked up. At once her face brightened and he didn’t have the heart to ignore her now. “Hello,” he finally mumbled, sitting carefully down in the chair opposite the girl.

“Hi, I’m Bill.” 

“I know, my aunt told me.” 

Bill blinked twice and then glanced at Idris. “I should have figured,” she mumbled and pushed the untouched teacup over to him. “I thought she was your mum. Drink, will you? It’s the first time that I have company in weeks!” 

“I thought this was for the girl?”

“Well… I’m still working up to talking to her. I can always get another. You have it.”

John did and unsurprisingly the tea was amazing. “Thanks,” he mumbled and Bill grinned even wider.

“So…did the fire nation get you? Or did you just get into a really bad fight?” John stiffened at once and turned his head away. “Oh…” Bill said and John jumped a bit at her tone of voice. “So you run from the fire nation? Me too.” She whispered and out of the corner of his eyes he saw the look in her eyes. 

“Why you?” he asked and Bill glanced up at him.

“I grew up in a colony as an orphan. I think my mum was a bender. I’m not sure but what I know is that my mum used to be a Kyoshi warrior when she was young before she met my dad. They died as traitors and well…I got the brunt of it.” 

John shifted uncomfortably. He had seen the destruction his nation was capable of at both poles and River’s village, but he never thought that the colonies would be that bad. 

“I mean my foster mum was nice, but she never really got me. Not until Basil visited our village.” 

John frowned. “Who’s Basili?” 

“Uhm?” Bill looked up confused until her eyes widened. “Oh…right, you’re new. Basil is a traveling merchant. He met me in my village and took me under his wing.” Bill chuckled. “I mean some would say he kidnapped me, but I personally think that I was learning quite a lot from him over time.” 

Without thinking, John leaned closer. “Tell me about him.” He asked and for the first time since meeting River, he genuinely wanted to hear what Bill said.

“Well at first he’s really grumpy. And he looks kinda mad, but then he’s really nice and caring. He has this really fluffy grey hair that sticks out in all directions and he dresses worse than me and he has this strange accent. I don’t know... it sounds a bit like Fire Nation, but it’s totally different and…”

For almost an hour John just sat with Bill and listened to her talk about her mentor. The stuff he taught her and the places they visited. 

“Where is he now?” John finally asked and Bill’s smile dimmed a bit. 

“He got a message. I think it’s from his family…or well it had a seal of the fire nation and he panicked. That was about ten months ago. I wish I could find a way to talk to him, but well, maybe things will get better.” 

Bill suddenly leaned closer. “They say the Avatar is back,” she whispered and John saw the hope glow in her eyes. “Some people who trade with Kyoshi island say the Avatar was there. Maybe it’s finally time and the war will end.” 

John felt ill. 

Bill was nice and a good girl and she talked about Basil like he was a father to her, even though she knew that he was from the fire nation. So much hope in one girl. In that moment John made a stupid decision. “Can you keep a secret?” He asked, looking around. He leaned closer when he was sure nobody noticed. “You have to promise me you can’t tell anyone. Under no circumstances.” 

Bill just nodded. Her eyes were huge and she leaned even closer. It probably looked like they were kissing. John didn’t mind. Nobody would mind two kissing teenagers.

“I met the Avatar once.” Bill gasped, but quietly enough that nobody turned around. “Her name is River, and she is amazing!”

Idris wasn’t entirely sure how it happened, but John and Bill became somehow inseparable for a few weeks. It wasn’t a bad thing, she decided, that John actually had a friend to talk to besides his aunt. Bill helped him get back into shape and they caught each other's different fighting styles after John’s shifts. 

John had found Bill in a back alley, one night, training with fans and daggers, a fighting style he was unfamiliar with. Still, it was familiar enough that he and Idris, who both know their way with the sword, could help and train her a bit. 

Bill even let Idris teach her how to make the perfect cuppa, which is how Bill ended up working at the shop a few days a week. It was just as well since the outlawed royalties had to start moving on. Even with loyal customers, there wasn’t enough to keep this place running. The owner of the tea shop knew another in Ba Sing Se who was in need of workers. Apparently this  _ other _ was the original owner and was a royal cook before that before trouble came. He would welcome them as employees on the spot.

Bill agreed that it would be the safest place from the fire nation by a long shot and _ isn’t it great you’ll already have a job when you get there! _ “Never been there myself,” Bill was saying as she helped John pack. “There’s hardly any way for me to get out of this place.”

“What do you mean?” John asked. “Couldn’t you just, you know, walk out and leave? There’s not really any family stopping you.”

Bill shrugged. “I’ve heard rumors about people who try to leave. There’s this… well I guess you could call it a group? Bandits, bounty hunters, you know that sort of thing. These ones call themselves the Vashta Nerada. Like shadows. They’re on all the major roads to Ba Sing Se. If they think they can turn you in for money then you won’t make it a mile near the city.”

John swallowed. 

“I know the Fire Nation’s not too happy with me, so I’d rather not get captured and turned in. But you’ll probably be fine, right? I mean, it’s not like there’s a giant bounty on your head.”

“Er… right,” John coughed. “Nothing like that. Might take the back roads anyway, though. Are you going to be okay here?”

“Sure I am. Now that I’ve got a little spending money and an ostrich horse, the world just got a little bigger. Maybe I’ll actually pay entree to those bending matches I mentioned instead of sneaking in.”

“Where’s the fun in that?” John teased. “Promise you’ll actually talk to that Heather girl, will you?”

Bill blushed. “It takes time! I’m working on it, really.”

John opened his mouth then closed it again. He wasn’t in any position to give advice about girls when we could hardly get a sentence out around them. Maybe Bill would have better luck. And if she didn’t, he’d be relieved there was someone worse at it than he was.

“Maybe I’ll catch up with you one day,” Bill added. “In the big city. Always wanted to see it for me.”

“I’d like that,” John smiled weakly. “Maybe we’ll have a fancy tea shop in the inner ring or something.”

“I’ll bet. Your nan can make it like no one else.”

“She’s my  _ aunt,”  _ John corrected. It had been commonplace for Bill to make various nicknames for Idris. So far, “Siddy,” “Nanny,” and “Big Boss,” were all on the table. Idris never seemed to mind it. John didn’t either.

They parted for the day and the next day he and his aunt started to pack their things while working one last shift. Bill turned up during the evening rush hour and helped out where it was needed the most. He and Idris decided at once, that every tip they got that night would go to Bill— Something the girl protested against until both he and his aunt just rolled their eyes, handed Bill the money, and shoved her out of the small house they had worked at.

The next morning the tea parlor was closed and it never opened again. 

Bill stood in front of the shop for a few minutes and then turned to the ostrich horse and got into the saddle. She had heard that there would be a special bending match and according to some rumors, _ The Pilot _ would be there too. The stupid grin found its way onto Bill's face. “Time to face her!” She told the ostrich horse and made her way out of the town.


	14. Avatar Instincts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “So…” Anita said once they had washed their clothes. River had purchased a few earth kingdom garments for both her and Anita a few days ago, just to be safe and because they only had one outfit each they had to wash them often. “Your latest nightmare?” 
> 
> River sighed. “I know, you want me to talk about it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a note for everyone-- Ignatious is actually Ianto (From torchwood). We will be going back to the other chapters and correcting the name and description. Sorry for the confusion.

**Chapter Fourteen: Avatar Instincts**

“I hate heat!” 

River barely managed to hide her smile and stretched. “I don’t.”

She and Anita had laid some good distance behind them in the last few weeks. They had almost reached Ba Sing Se and the state of Chu had it’s beauty. It reminded River of her home with the little houses and the close communities. 

River sighed and let her arm drop. It got harder to sleep every day. Anita was on the better side of travel companions. She seemed to understand what River needed when she woke disorientated and screaming from another nightmare and she listened. They had a different kind of partnership than River had with Clara. 

Clara was more of a reckless adventurer. River sometimes thought it was because of her fiance. Clara had been wearing the necklace the whole time and Thabetha had River explained exactly what those necklaces meant. River understood. Clara had lost someone and it had changed her. River had been there.

Anita was different. She had a plan, always and she could think on her feet a lot like River could. It was refreshing and calming. River was reckless, but she also knew ten possible ways of getting out of a situation at any given moment. Clara not so much.

“Of course you don’t mind the heat, you grew up here!” 

River grinned. “Nope, not here. But I worked in a bakery since the day I turned twelve. I had oven duty  _ all _ the time.” 

They had found a nice clearing near a small river and all three of them just enjoyed the cool water. Especially Cal, now that she didn’t need to swim in it.

“So…” Anita said once they had washed their clothes. River had purchased a few earth kingdom garments for both her and Anita a few days ago, just to be safe and because they only had one outfit each they had to wash them often. “Your latest nightmare?” 

River sighed. “I know, you want me to talk about it.” That was the other thing. While Clara wanted to talk too, there was just another kind of honesty in Anita. Like she understood the whole spirit thing a bit more than Clara. Which, thinking about it, wasn’t that absurd given the differences between their tribes. Anita had camped out in the spirit oasis her whole life. 

“I saw half of the man’s face tonight.” She whispered and patted Cal's head. “He looked so old and haunted. I think the flames are a symbol of a kind… I don’t know. They were so close to him. Almost like they reached for him and tried to burn him. But he never burns.”

Anita stayed quiet and River shook her head. “I don’t know. I don’t remember more. No details, just old and haunted eyes.” 

Anita nodded. “And the other dream?” 

River sighed again. “There’s another person. A girl.” A huge grin tugged on the corners of River mouth. “Her hair is just as wild as mine!” 

That made Anita take a double-take and River fell back into the grass laughing. “There’s more.” She finally said once she could breathe again. “The first girl, she has a limp. Like a chronic limp, it’s bad, but at the same time she looks comfortable in her movement.”

“Wait!” Anita called out and turned completely to River. “She?”

“That’s what I said. Do you have a problem with my subconscious gender assignments?”

“No, I just thought you were talking about the man in fire..”

“There’s three. The man, and the two girls.”

“And they’re all… related?”

River shook her head. “No, no. Forget the man. He’s something different, probably. The girls. There’s two of them: the Hair and the Limp.”

“Oh.. I think I’m following,” Antia nodded slowly.

River sighed. If there was anything that she’d learned in the past couple of months, it was to listen to her dreams, especially the recurring ones. “Those two are related. Not to each other, I mean. Just, they have something to do with each other. The one with the limp, she’s always in dresses. Nice white ones like the rich folks wear. But sometimes she’s in this fighting outfit.”

“River, what are you trying to say… you think she’s real?”

“I know she’s real. Remember what I told you about Melody?” The long trip across the north ocean had left River plenty of time to fill Anita in on who Melody was and about her message concerning Sozin’s comet. “When I dream about real people I can tell. It feels different the way it does with Melody. That man is real and so are the other two.”

Antia was quiet for a moment, trying to process. “How do you know she’s alive? Melody is real, but she’s a spirit, right? She died a long time ago. Anyone you talk to in your dreams could be from the past.”

“Or the future,” River grinned. “Plus she was using pretty modern bending techniques. And her clothes are all up to date. So I think she’s here somewhere and I think we should find her.”

“But where do we start? We can’t just wander the forest shouting, ‘Hey, anyone seen an earthbender with a limp?”

“I have.”

River and Anita flinched at the new voice and whirled around, River with fire firsts at the ready. 

A young woman on an ostrich horse had ridden into the little clearing. Cal was on her feet, sniffing the other animal as the stranger halted. 

River started with wide eyes and put away her fire. “It’s you. With the big hair from my dream.”

Bill reached up to touch her own hair and shrugged. “I guess it is big.”

River had a big smug grin on as she looked at Anita triumphantly. “See? Avatar instincts.”

Anita wrinkled her nose and they got out of the water. “Seriously? You can just get visions of the future… just like that?”

River shrugged. “I don’t control this Avatar stuff. It just happens by itself. It’s quite useful sometimes, don’t you think?”

Anita muttered something about River showing off as River approached the stranger with an extended hand. “I’m River.”

“Bill,” said Bill. “You’re the Avatar!”

That made River step back. “Ok, wait did you hear me? I’m sure that I didn’t talk that loud!” 

Bill swung herself out of the saddle and stepped closer, one of her hands raised in a peaceful gesture the other holding the ostrich horse. “I knew someone who met you. He told me about you.” 

Both Anita and River shared glances, but they decided not to ask, there were more pressing matters at hand. 

“You said you know a bender with a limp?” Anita finally asked and Bill nodded. 

“Her name is Heather.” 

Realization hit River like a fully grown eel hound. Bill sounded exactly like Ianto, back when he refused to realize that he had a thing for Jack. “You have a crush on her!” River said in the driest deadpan she could manage. 

Bill shut up at once and her cheeks grew darker. Anita just blinked and then suddenly started to laugh. Loudly. 

“This is too good,” She giggled and then turned to River. “At least we know why she always appears with Heather in your dreams!” 

Bill blushed even darker and River found herself laughing with Anita until she heard the quiet mumble from Bill. “It’s not like her parents would approve.” 

River stopped laughing at once and before she thought about it she stepped up to Bill. The other girl looked a bit spooked, but River was SO angry.

“Listen up, Sweetie!” She said and grabbed Bill by the shoulders. “I’ve been dreaming about you for weeks. Don’t ask—it’s an avatar thing. I also dreamed about you and Heather together and the two of you? Back to back all the time. When I dream of you I dream of blind trust and I don’t care if her parents don’t approve. I just made the whole northern water tribe realise that one of their major rules is stupid and wrong. I’ll get you and your girl together if it's the last thing I do!” 

Bill's eyes had grown big and a bit glassy, but River couldn’t care less. This girl in front of her was precious, River just knew it. 

Behind River Anita sighed. “You had to jinx it, hadn’t you?” River pointedly ignored her. The feeling in her gut was a bit harder to ignore.

Bill finally managed a word. “You know she barely knows I exist. I’ve talked to her like, one time and I’m pretty sure she doesn’t even know my name—” 

“Hush,” River ordered. “Avatar instincts, alright? Don’t argue. Just take us to her and the rest will just… work out.”

Antia resisted the urge to slap her own forehead and even Bill was starting to hesitate. “What are you going to do? Just walk into her house and demand to see her?”

“Yup!” River pulled Anita by the arm and they both went onto Cal’s back. “Lead the way, Bill!”

Bill wasn’t sure about this, but she wasn’t one to tell the Avatar ‘no’. She was the Avatar and how could Bill argue with avatar instincts? It would take some time, but Bill would learn, to realise when River needed to be kicked in the shin. Sometimes literally.

River held herself high when they walked into town. People stopped and stared at the eelhound but River paid them no mind. There was no changing her mind about this.

Bill dismounted the ostrich horse in front of what looked more like an estate than a house. Large stone walls surrounding the property except for the impressive entry. River and Anita dismounted as well. 

“Look, I really, really think we might want to announce ourselves or something,” Bill was staring hard at the ground, avoiding eye contact with the onlookers. “Her parents are really strict and really powerful. There’s no getting out of a bad impression. Trust me, I know.”

River didn’t look deterred. “I’m not here for her parents. I’m here for Heather.” With that, River climbed on Cal’s back for a boost and hopped over the wall.

“Oh, she’s got to be kidding,” Bill gawked. 

“Unfortunately not,” Anita sighed and followed over the wall. 

Bill was last to go in the trespassing, acting like a scared rabbit deer. “I swear to the gods, we’re going to get arrested.”

River wasn’t paying much attention, instead, evaluating the surroundings. There was space between the wall and the main buildings filled with flowering bushes and little walkways. There didn’t seem to be anyone there when all of a sudden the ground shifted.

All three of them lost balance and fell to the ground with the quietest “ow”s they could make.

When River got a hold of herself, she saw there was a young woman in a wheelchair in front of them.

“You,” River grinned. “I found you! But I thought you could walk.”

Bill groaned, wishing desperately that she could bend herself into a hole in the ground. Anita wished the same.

The woman’s expression didn’t change except for the slight cock on her eyebrow. “You three are by far the least effective robbers I’ve ever met.”

River laughed a little too loudly and Anita shushed her desperately. “We’re not robbers. I’m the Avatar and these are my friends. Anita and  _ Bill _ .” She emphasized Bill’s name suggestively, ignoring that the other woman was red in the face and burying her face in her hands with a groan. “You two might have met?”

Heather said nothing and Bill couldn’t help but peek out behind her fingers to see her staring right back. Bill nearly squeaked. 

“I’ve had visions about you,” River continued. “I’m not sure what they mean yet, but I think I’m supposed to be in your life for a bit and you’re supposed to be in mine.”

Heather was even better at masking facial expressions that Ashildr had been because River couldn’t read her face at all. Finally, she spoke. “You have no idea what you’re doing, do you?”

River opened her mouth then closed it again. It wasn’t exactly the answer she’d been expecting. “I know what I’m doing,” she insisted. “I’m asking you to come with me!”

“You have forty-five seconds to leave, Avatar.” River noticed one of Heather’s feet was touching the ground rather than resting in the foot slot of the wheelchair. “And it’ll be without me.”

“What? No! I’m on a mission, damn it. I  _ know _ you can bend and I  _ know _ you can do it well.”

“You literally have no idea who I am. Thirty seconds.”

River flared her nostrils with irritation. “If you’re going to attack or something just do it. I’d like to see what you think you can do to the  _ Avatar _ .”

Heather didn’t move except for her foot back into its place. Several people came running up behind her, shouting her name and this time her face did show something: fear. Fear as fake as a midnight sun.

Of the newcomers, two of them, an older man and woman, were in done up clothes like Heather’s, and the rest were in some sort of guard uniform. 

“Shit,” Bill whispered. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Anita standing up and stepping in front of River. 

Before anyone could say something, Anita bowed in front of the group. “I’m sorry for the scare we gave you, Lady Heather.” Anita straightened again and looked at the group of people behind the girl. “And I beg you forgiveness, but the ostrich horse of our friend, Bill, was scared and threw her over your wall and our eel hound did the same because the ostrich horse came too close to her. We are really sorry for intruding.”

Bill almost fell over when River bowed to. “I’m sorry I tried to explain to you daughter that we mean no harm and I got a bit excited. I dreamed of your daughter and was just so surprised that I met her.” 

The eyes of everyone turned to Bill and she stayed on the ground bowing her head. “I met them in the forest and they told me what they were looking for. I wanted to help. The ostrich horse has belonged to me for only a few days and I was surprised.”

Bill never got to see how the angered glares of Heather’s parents turned into a satisfied oddity at the way she stayed on the ground. Neither did she see how River’s hand caught fire once she realized the situation. Heather did.

“I accept your apologies and I understand your circumstances. How about you find your eel hound and the ostrich horse and we give them a place to calm down?” 

What Bill saw was a warm smile from Heather, the shocked face of her parents, and the smug but startled grins of River and Anita.

An hour later Cal was in the stables of the Mondas estate and the three of them were sitting in a parlor. The ostrich horse Bill had been given by Lee and Sidra had been gone when they had stepped outside, but Cal had been at the front gates scratching and howling until River had stepped out.

“That was good thinking of you, Anita,” River mumbled sheepishly into her tea. Anita just rolled her eyes. “I know.” She turned to Bill next. “Sometimes it’s not important if she’s the Avatar, she’s still human and a dumbass!” 

Bill managed to smile weakly.

“I think there is something about Heather.” River mumbled and watched as the girl was brought closer by her parents. “She can walk. I’ve seen the movements of her feet on the ground. She was perfectly in control, but she’s hiding. If I just knew why…” 

Neither of the other girls managed to answer because the family of three finally entered the parlor. 

“Avatar River, Master Anita” They bowed to the two of them but ignored Bill. 

River plastered a fake smile on her face. “Please don’t forget our friend Bill. Without her, we wouldn’t be here. She led us safely through the forests and to your home. I just wish we knew who was responsible for stealing her ostrich horse.”

Bill saw the tea in all of their cups rise a bit and how the tea in Rivers' hands started to boil. She felt her cheeks burn. This was the nicest thing anyone had said to her since Lee and Sidra had left.

Mr. and Mrs. Mondas ignored the request and moved abruptly into the business. “You said you dreamed about our daughter?”

River bit her lip and for the first time, today regretted saying something. “...Yes, I did. I’ve been having visions ever since I left the Northern Water Tribe. I am to learn earthbending as soon as possible, you see.”

“And what might that have to do with our daughter?”

Heather’s expression remained tight, but River could see her fist clench. A crack appeared in River’s ceramic cup at the same time. “Well… I understand she has the ability to earth bend.”

Mr. Mondas narrowed his eyes. “You’ll find that is not an uncommon trait in the Earth Kingdom, Avatar. If you seek a teacher I can recommend some.”

River glared right back, desperately trying to remember how to keep a lid on it. Sarah Jane had been so good at this sort of thing, it was a shame she didn’t appear now and talk for her. “Perhaps the same teacher who has taught Heather?”

The crack in River’s cup grew a little bigger. 

“Avatar, you seem to be implying that Heather is at a mastery level. The opposite holds true. You’ll find there is no earth bending allowed on the property at all outside of the scheduled time slots.” 

River frowned, starting to wish she had listened to Bill a little more. “I’m sorry. It’s just dreams are something very important for me and…I dreamed of Heather and thought she would be the one teaching me.”

River looked over at Heather and was met with a look of silent suffering. She remembered that look. River had looked like that every time after school when she walked to Mrs. Zucker’s bakery to work. Her classmates had bullied her relentlessly because River was the best bender in the village and she worked the oven duty of all things.

“Maybe I misinterpreted my dreams” She mumbled, appearing to be thinking. “Maybe there is more.” River sat up and set her cup on the table. “Would you mind if I walk with Heather for a bit? I think I found my mistake. Bill was meant to lead me to Heather and I think Heather is to lead me to her teacher, no matter how little she learns.” 

River ignored Heather's parents and concentrated completely on Heather. Trying to tell her that she didn’t believe a thing.

“A little walk wouldn’t be a problem, just please stay in our sight. Would you, Avatar?” Heather’s mother asked and for a moment River thought Heather’s father was about to deny it. River didn’t let him. 

She bowed deeper than she wanted and smiled. “Of course.” 

They were out of earshot within seconds. “I don’t like your father.” River stated flatly. “He reminds me of my bending teachers from my village and the northern water tribe. Both jerks.” Heather snorted a bit and River slowed her tempo. “I know you’re more than they believe. I didn’t interpret my dream wrong. You are the teacher I need and…” Here River hesitated and sighed. “I think we need each other. You are not happy here and I know the feeling. I won’t say it’s not dangerous what I and my friends are doing, but…it’s freedom.” 

Although River was behind Heather, she wasn’t pushing her wheelchair. Heather was moving it on her own with amazingly discrete earthbending. She stayed quiet, however.

River sighed. “You can walk, can’t you?”

Heather scoffed. “Yes. Sometimes. I don’t suppose your _Avatar_ _dreams_ told you about my condition?”

“No,” River whispered. 

“I can walk, but it’s very exhausting,” Heather explained. “I save my energy for when I need it. For when I fight.”

River felt a little smug but tried not to show it. “You  _ do _ know how to fight.”

“I’m the five year unbeaten champion in the rock rumble. When you first showed up, I thought you were a fan sneaking in.”

River chuckled. “In my dream, you were limping.”

“Comes with the territory. My parents don’t know I can walk more than a few feet.”

They were quiet for a long moment before River asked, “Why do you do it? If it hurts you?”

Heather shrugged. “It doesn’t hurt  _ exactly _ . It’s exhausting, but it’s… freeing. I can use the earth to support my walking. I can feel what’s under my feet in a way I don’t think other earthbenders can. I make every step comfortable for myself. The earth knows what I need and I know what to ask for. And I can just  _ be _ without people staring like I’m some helpless kid.”

River nodded, glancing back at where Mr. and Mrs. Mondas waited anxiously. 

“I do remember Bill, you know.”

River looked surprised to see Heather blushing just slightly.

“She’s been to every single one of my matches since I started. Sometimes, she climbs the trees outside my house to see me. She thinks I don’t see her but I do.”

River smiled, making a mental note to leave those two in a room alone together. “Let’s go back, yeah?” 

“River?” Heather mumbled. 

“Hmh?” 

“Tonight is a match, do you want to come?” 

River had been through enough that she knew what Heather meant. “I’d love to and I know Bill does too, she said it will be the first time that she can pay upfront to watch a match.” That made Heather smile. 

“Oh!” River mumbled just before they reached earshot. “What’s your earthbender master's name?” River learned something from the fiasco with Donna’s training lessons. 

Heather told her and River brought her back to her parents. 

“I was wrong.” River smiled up at the two adults. “Heather was indeed my guide to the right Master.” She bowed to them and smiled.

She was met with the cold eyes of Heather's father. “Then you will leave, immediately!” 

River jerked back at the aggressive tone and the coldness in his eyes. “What…?” 

“Or I’ll call the Vashta Nerada.” 

Bill was out of her seat in a second. She grabbed for Anita and River, digging her nails painfully into River’s arm. “We’ll go, thank you for the hospitality, bye!” 

Heather’s parents ignored her and River grit her teeth. Bill stopped her from saying anything. Her voice high and filled with panic and cold dread. “Please River.” She whispered and River smiled again. 

“Goodbye,” She said and turned to the stables. 

“Never set foot on my property again, Avatar, or you’ll regret it!” 

River did her best to keep her temper in.


	15. The Pilot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The only earth bending River had seen before were a few street spars in the towns surrounding her old village. There weren’t exactly a lot of earth benders in the colonies, despite being on the mainland of the Earth Kingdom. Even so, it was all children’s stuff, just your run of the mill rock toss and mild bruising. Before her now were expert-level techniques and styles she’d never even dreamed about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> guess who forgot to update on Tuesday? ... anyways two days late but here ya go

**Chapter Fifteen: The Pilot**

Watching Heather spar with full-grown men, most of whom were known as earth bending elites, was like stepping into a parallel universe. The young woman in the ring was nothing like the girl in the white gown River had met a few hours ago. Heather moved with the grace of a water bender and the commitment of a fire bender. Every step was thought out and every move was in her control. It was like nothing River had ever seen in her life.

River and Bill watched attentively from the private balcony Heather had gotten for them under the guise of bodyguards and sponsors. Anita had opted to sit out watching the fighting—something about the place being too loud and crowded and _really, River, I’d be much happier to just watch Cal and wait out here. You go have fun._

Fun didn’t even begin to describe the pure awe of watching the fight. The only earth bending River had seen before were a few street spars in the towns surrounding her old village. There weren’t exactly a lot of earth benders in the colonies, despite being on the mainland of the Earth Kingdom. Even so, it was all children’s stuff, just your run of the mill rock toss and mild bruising. Before her now were expert-level techniques and styles she’d never even dreamed about. 

“I have got to learn how to do that!” River said about every twenty seconds to Bill, who ignored her after the first few times. 

Every bender in the ring had a unique form and Heather was no different. She was slower than some of the others and her opponents had a habit of underestimating her for just this reason. Slowness might be a death sentence for anyone else, but Heather had seemed to make a craft out of it. She never darted around on her feet like others did, only making steps that were absolutely necessary.

“It’s vibrations, I guess,” Heather had explained on the way here. “I don’t have a choice. I have to listen to my body so I don’t hurt myself. I have to know where to step and how to move so I don’t waste energy. But I’ve learned through my limitations that I can extend that sense and listen to everything else, too. My opponents, the earth, and every little movement.”

The others didn’t listen to their body and Heather knew how to exploit that negligence at every turn and knock every opponent off their feet one way or another. She was unstoppable.

“No wonder you’re afraid to ask her out,” River murmured to Bill during the lull between matches. “Rejection might lend you some broken bones.”

Bill flushed and sputtered to make words. “Shut up.”

They were quiet for a moment before River asked, “What the hell happened back there?”

“Oh, well the Boulder thought he could one-up Heather with a rock-side but—”

“No. At the Mondas estate. I told them Heather wasn’t my teacher and all of sudden they were… threatening me? What’s the Vashta Nerada anyways?”

Bill squared her jaw, her eyes locked on the empty fighting ring. “Told you they weren’t nice people.”

“I think this is a little beyond petty rudeness.”

Bill sighed and closed her eyes. “Look, River… the Earth Kingdom works a little differently than the other nations. You’re not used to it. I get it. Thing is, it’s all about power around here. You either have it or you don’t and if you do have it then you were either born into it or worked your way up.”

“How does one work their way up?”

“Er… not very nicely.”

River nodded solemnly to her understanding. Power wasn’t an unfamiliar thing to her, despite Bill hinting it was. This kind of power, however, was political. It wasn’t something one could bend their way out of. You had to make connections and do favors, favors that no one else was willing to do. 

“So the Vashta Nerada…? Is that a person?”

“A group,” Bill whispered, glancing around. “I guess you might call them bounty hunters but they’ll do anything for the right price.”

“What do you mean ‘anything’?”

Bill picked at her nails nervously. “Anything.”

River was silent as the next match started. Had Mr. Mondas threatened to have her kidnapped? Killed? Turned over to the Fire Nation for a pretty penny? Whatever he meant by threatening to summon those people, it wouldn’t have been good news. But why he did, River still didn’t understand.

That didn’t mean she didn’t feel the cold shill rushing down her spine. Because it was a giant chill. “Bill…” River asked hesitantly. “Did you ever encounter them?” 

Bill next to her stiffened and refused to look away from Heather and the Boulder. “Once.” She finally said when the crowd grew louder. “Basil just had sold a few items he got for free from a much shadier noble. I think her name was Tasha Lam. She was flirting with him the whole time. Anyway.” Bill stopped talking and winced as s huge stone boulder crashed into the flesh boulder and threw him out of the ring. 

When River looked over to Bill again, the grave look was gone and she was cheering for Heather. River felt warmth spreading through her body. _I swear to you, Melody! I’ll get those two together and if it’s the last thing I do!_

For the next five minutes until the next fight started again they chatted over the technique and the few things Bill could explain to River.

Only when the next fight started again did Bill pick up her tale. 

“Basil is Fire Nation, I did tell you that right?” River nodded and tried to imagine how a fire nation noble would end up an immigrant in the earth kingdom. “Some idiot got drunk and told the people of the village his name. Like his full name— the next thing we knew was the Vashta Nerada all around our wagon. It was creepy as hell. They were like shadows, just there and gone in the next moment.” Bill shuddered and stopped. She looked lost and scared and River felt another shiver rolling down her spine harder this time. 

And then in the noise of the crowd, there was a voice. A bit like Melody’s young and innocent, but different at the same time, older and less hopeful. For a moment River perked up looking around for a spirit to meet, but there was nothing. 

“They told him he could come out with them or die. I think I heard tales about the _or die_ part. Some say they found a way to kill their victims in a really horrible way, but nobody knows the details. The only thing they are sure about is the fact that nothing will be left aside from the bones of the people.” 

River jerked around her heart thumping in her chest and something much much darker in her stomach tightening. “ _What?”_ She croaked. “Only the…” She remembered the tales of people near her village. Of people gone missing, with nothing but bones left. But that couldn’t be, right? River gulped and shook her head. It was nothing. The Vashta Nerada only operated around Ba Sing Se, not on the southern coast!

“Well Basil, he made a third option. He gave them all the money we made with Tasha Lam…wait Tasha _Lem_ that’s her name. Tasha Lem, all money we made with her stuff we gave to them and they just left.”

Bill shrugged and shook her head. “They did leave a message. Apparently, they were hired by some other noble who felt insulted when one of Basil's daughters refused to marry him. I know his older daughter broke an engagement with some really high noble to marry the boy she loved and Basil had approved of it. David, I think the boy’s name was David. His youngest on the other hand…” Bill shrugged. “Basil always said I remind him of Jenny so…”

River was hardly listening to the logistics of the encounter, still trying to convince herself that the Vashta Nerada never went south of Gaoling. But how could she be sure? “I don’t understand what I did wrong?

“Huh?”

“The Mondases. They threatened to bring that group here because of _me_. But I didn’t do anything! ...Right?”

Bill shrugged unsurely, but River could tell that she had a few theories. “Maybe they overheard you in the garden…?”

River swallowed. She didn’t want to believe that, but it certainly would have put them on the blacklist. “If they did, then we’ll have to leave here as soon as possible.”

Bill nearly choked. “Leave??”

“Why are you so surprised? I have to learn earthbending and I can’t do that here if some rich arseholes are going to be breathing over my shoulder because they think I ruined their lives.”

“It’s just, well, I, I mean, you just go here. I, um, I thought I’d have more of a chance to get to know you and … yeah.”

River cocked an eyebrow. “You’re coming with me, you idiot. And Heather is too.”

This time Bill’s shock sent her into a brief coughing fit. “Wait really?”

“Yes really! You know the insides of the Earth Kingdom and I don’t. Neither does Anita. Besides, that prophetic dream meant something. It meant you two are coming with me.” River paused and grinned mischievously. “Of course, you could always stay if you like. But I think Heather might miss you.”

Bill turned bright red yet again and River looked as pleased as a cat who caught a cricket-mouse. 

Finally, when Bill wasn’t tripping over her own words, she asked, “How can you be sure that Heather will come? And don’t say “avatar instincts” or I’ll punch you.”

River chuckled. “The talk in the garden, Bill. She wants to leave here and she can’t stand living a lie day in and day out. I can feel it. She’ll say yes.”

“And when her parents find out…?”

River shrugged. “We’ll be far away by then.”

Bill looked uncertain of the whole idea, but River was just smiling at her. “Okay, okay. I’m coming with you. But I hope you don’t expect all four of us to fit on your eelhound.”

“Two can fit on an ostrich-horse, can’t they?”

Bill turned red again and River was almost sure her head would pop off her shoulders one of these days.

Heather was claimed winner of the night to no one’s surprise. The stadium cheered deafeningly nonetheless as Heather limped off the ring with her prize belt and prize money. 

Bill and River met her on the sidelines where they had been guarding her wheelchair for her. Healthier sat down with a sigh of relief, rubbing her aching legs. 

“You were amazing!” River enthused. “I’ve never seen anything like you.”

Despite her exhaustion, Heather smiled at the praise. “Practice, Avatar. It’s just practice.”

“You know, Anita and I picked up some healing in the Northern Tribe. If you’d like, we can try a bit on your legs, maybe help the soreness a bit?”

Heather nodded. “Usually sore for about nine or ten days after tournaments. I’d appreciate it if you cut that time down.”

Bill pushed the wheelchair towards the exit and River walked next to the two, gushing to Heather about how amazing the fights were.

Just then a commotion started at the entry to the cave that was the arena. People screamed and turned back to run into the cave. Some people were fighting their way through the crowd using their earth bending and the injuries got worse and worse. River was the only one running into the tunnel. She heard Bill and Heather call for her, but she didn’t react. Instead, she got faster and faster pushing people aside and sometimes jumping over falling people until she stood right in front of a line of earthbenders fighting Cal. 

“STOP!” Her scream thundered through the tunnel and all of them, the running people, the earthbenders, and Cal stopped in the middle of what they were doing. 

Cal let out a pitiful whimper and lied down on her belly. The earthbenders just stared at her, their fist still raised. “Cal, baby!” River called and rushed through the line of benders to get to her eel hound. One of the men tried to stop her, by grabbing for her arm, but River made the damp earth around his feet freeze before he really grabbed her. 

“Baby… Cal!” She mumbled and got on her knees trying to calm her stil whimpering friend. “It’s alright sweetie I’m…” 

River stopped and stared at her eel hound. Cal’s skin was torn and there was so much blood, Cal's saddle nearly broken and several bags missing. “What…” Only then did River realize that there was something much more important missing than a bag. 

“ _ANITA!”_

River only heard Cal’s howl and the confused murmur of people behind her, as she sprinted for the entry of the tunnel. On her way out she ran past a man in dark clothing. He looked so old and broken that River almost ran into the tunnel wall to get away from him. His eyes burned into the side of her face and River felt tears sting in her’s.

Several people were sitting on the ground shaking and some crying. There was a part of the forest that showed clear evidence of a fight and in the middle were her bags. Almost untouched and too clean to be natural. 

River felt hollow as she slowly stepped closer to the bag she saw the piece of paper laying on top of it. It was heavy, expensive paper with black seal wax on top of it. The seal pressed into the wax was strange and almost blurry. A tree and a figure looking as if they were one and below them a book.

“Vashta Nerada,” Bill whispered behind River.

“I know…” River felt the fire in her hands before she could hear the flames. She saw the slight tremor of the earth below her feet before she felt it. 

When River turned the earth around Heather’s wheelchair was uneven and broken. Something dark glinted in her eyes. The star in her right eye was almost ominously glowing. “And I know who did this!”

It took Heather and Bill almost two hours to get River to calm down. They only got her to sit still to heal Cal, and even so she was still seething. 

“I’m going to kill them,” River said for the millionth time. If her glare could kill, there would be quite a few casualties. 

The three of them had headed into the forest in the direction of Anita’s captures but stopped in a clearing to tend to the eelhound. 

Bill was patting Cal’s head as River worked on healing. Heather seemed just as furious as River, but remained silent for the most part. 

No one had dared to open the letter yet.

“We’ll find her,” Bill murmured but didn’t sound too sure. “They only took her to get to you probably. They won’t kill her.”

River looked up at Bill, flames coming from her nose with a sharp exhale. Bill swallowed and didn’t say anything more. Cal reached over with her long neck and licked River’s cheek.

River sighed and closed her eyes tightly. There was a hot lump in her throat and she tried her best to push it down.

Heather, who had been holding the letter, silently began to open in. Neither River nor Bill dared to stop her. After a moment of reading, Healthier wheeled over to River and handed the piece of paper over. 

River read it over. Where her fingers touched the paper started to smoke and within a few seconds, the whole thing caught fire. 

Bill frowned. “What did it say?”

No one answered her for a moment. Finally Heather hissed, “I’m not going back.”

“Damn right you’re not,” River agreed.

“What??” Bill looked between the two and River finally looked over at the non bender.

“The Mondases sent them. They want Heather to return in exchange for Anita.”

Bill deflated. “That’s bullshit.”

Heather looked at the burning piece of paper that was nothing more than flakes of ash at this point. “We can get her back on our own.” 

“If they are with your parent’s then…” 

But Heather just shook her head. “No.” The Vashta Nerada never leaves their prisoners with the people who pay them. That’s the big deal for them. They get paid twice once for kidnapping and once to free the person they kidnapped. Sometimes it’s for the body but…” 

Both River and Bill just blinked at Heather, who sighed. “Do you really think even my parents could get them here so fast if they didn’t know them already?” 

Heather looked down to the ground and sighed. “I used to have a teacher who was really great and who _knew_ that I could be a great bender. My parents didn’t like that so…” Heather shrugged and Both Bill and River just looked at each other. After a moment they came to a silent agreement. 

Heather yelped a bit when both River and Bill suddenly enveloped her in a hug. “We’re not mad!” Bill said and River could hear the red creeping into her cheeks. “No, we’re not! Honestly, right now I’m really thankful!”

Heather sighed and hugged them back. “Their lair is around Ba Sing Se.” 

“Then to Ba Sing Se, we’ll go.” River said with fierce determination. “Think you’re up for it Cal?”

The eelhound blinked at River and put her head down to rest on the ground.

River sighed. “We’ll go in the morning. I think Cal needs to recover some more… traveling with me can be dangerous, you know. You don’t have to come.”

Bill and Heather looked at River sideways. “You daft woman. We’re coming with you!”

River smiled weakly as Heather started to put up a few earth tents. “Thank you.”

Several towns north of the Avatar, John, and Idris sat around a fire of their own making, cooking what used to be a bird. 

“Honest,” John said, “I didn’t know it was a messenger hawk! It's hard to hunt in the dark.” 

Idris shook her head. “Nephew, I’m not mad. It’s what the hawk was carrying that bothers me.” In her hands was an envelope with a black seal. She had already opened the letter out of sheer curiosity.

“Well, you won’t let me read it. How am I supposed to know different if you won’t let me read it?” 

Idris sighed and hesitantly handed John the letter.

He read it over once. Twice. Three times before staring at his aunt. His hands went slack, letting the letter drop into the fire and burn and he just stared.

And if the flames burned a bit brighter who could say?


	16. Runs in the Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Heather looked over at River thoughtfully. “Why don’t you try, then?”
> 
> “What, now? I’ve never earthbent before. I don’t know how.”
> 
> “Done it in past lives, haven’t you? Just try.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay another chapter with pictures

**Chapter Sixteen:** Runs in the Family

“I think this might be more comfortable in the water,” Heather muttered.

River through her head back in laughter, remembering the weeks with Clara spent traveling by eelhound through arctic oceans. “Trust me, it isn’t.”

Bill and Heather didn’t seem to find the same humor in this as River did, as they both shot her somewhat of a glare. “Let's break, hm?” Bill asked gently. “We can stretch. It’ll be good for us.”

River hesitated. The sun was setting now over the trees. 

They’d left Gaipan this morning at River’s insistence. Cal had been too injured to walk, but three days of intense healing sessions did the trick just fine. Because the eelhound was bigger than the ostrich horse, Bill and Heath rode on Cal while River led on the smaller animal. 

Heather didn’t bother with personal belongings from her home, saying she’d rather avoid her parents. The only things she had with her were a change of clothes and her wheelchair, which they’d strapped onto Cal for safekeeping. River had half a mind to tinker with it, so they could fold it and save space.

Heather was no complainer, but holding this brand new riding position on top of Cal for almost twelve hours was hell on her already burning nerves. River hadn’t let them stop for more than five minutes at a time, pressing eastwards through the forest as fast as Cal was willing to follow.

“Don’t need a break,” River murmured. 

“ _ We _ need a break,” Bill pressed. “Heather’s in a lot of pain here, River. And it’s getting dark so… shouldn’t we camp?”

“Do the Vashta Nerada rest at night?” 

Cal whined, recognizing River’s threatening tone. 

“Avatar,” Healthier started, “The Vashta Nerada are far ahead of us by now, but we know where they are going. There’s no point in pushing ourselves to arrive at Ba Sing Se and not be ready for what we have to do there. It’s time to rest.”

River sighed hallowly and slowed the ostrich horse down to a stop. Cal stopped as well and lowered herself to the ground.

“Good girl,” River murmured to the eelhound. 

Bill made to help heather off Cal’s back which Heather ignored in favor of using an earth platform to lower herself onto solid ground. “I can take care of myself, you know.”

Bill was thankful for the dimming light, otherwise Heather might have seen how she blushed. “Er— yeah. I know that. Sorry, I didn’t mean to imply that.. Um… Just thought it might be nice to have a hand to help.”

“Don’t need one.” In a fluid movement, Heather moved her arms and one leg forwards, producing a small earth tent for herself. “See?”

River couldn’t help but chuckle to herself, remembering an old conversation with Clara. “You wouldn’t mind making some for us, too? I’d do it myself, but, well, I’ve never tried.”

Heather looked over at River thoughtfully. “Why don’t you try, then?”

“What, now? I’ve never earthbent before. I don’t know how.”

“Done it in past lives, haven’t you? Just try.”

River bit her lip as Bill and Heather watched her. She wasn’t one for stage fright, but at the moment really wished everyone would stop looking. Holding her breath, River mimicked what she’d seen Heather do; one foot forwards, arms up and just a bit to the…

A large rock in front of River rolled over and landed with a thud a few inches from its original place.

“It’s a start.” Heather shrugged and erected two more proper earth tents for River and Bill. 

Bill turned to River. “Was that your first time earth bending?”

“Yeah…” River answered absently. She was staring at the rock she moved, trying to decide whether she was proud of herself or embarrassed. “I mean, I think I’ve done it in the avatar state before, but that wasn’t in my control so doesn’t count really.”

“What’s the avatar state?”

River snapped back to reality, staring at Bill. “...Something I hope you’ll never see.”

It was the middle of the night when Heather broke down the earth tents. The noise alone was enough to wake up Bill and River, and the smack of cold air was jolting.

“What the hell?” River sat up in her sleeping sack, her wild hair sticking out in every direction.

Heather was trying to get to her feet, clearly in some sort of hurry. “We need to go!”

“What are you talking about?” Bill asked. She was already on her feet, going to help Heather stand.

“There’s something coming right for this place. We need to go!” 

River was already packing before Bill could ask questions. Maybe it was the exhaustion from the sudden wake-up or the still nagging urge to not waste time finding Anita, but River believed Heather.

They got everything packed at record speed. As they set off on the back of Cal and Basil (Bill had named the ostrich horse after her old mentor), River glanced back to see smoke rising in the direction the supposed threat was coming from. 

It didn’t look like a typical forest fire. The source of it seemed to be ever moving—like someone had put wheels on a wood-burning stove. 

Heather explained more once they had put distance between them and the smoking thing. “It was all rumbling like a storm or something. I could feel the vibrations… it’s something big. Really big. And really fast, too.”

“Well, what is it doing out here in the middle of the night?” Bill wondered aloud. “Is it a spirit?”

“No,” River shook her head. “I didn’t feel anything spiritual going on. But whatever it was, it probably has its own agenda and nothing to do with us… right?”

There was a beat of silence No one disagreed with River outright, but they all knew: things like this always had something to do with them. It was some Avatar curse to find trouble again and again like a bad penny. 

They moved southeast on the theory that the thing was heading on a different route and they just happened to camp in the way of it. After an hour of putting a good distance between them, they finally stopped to set up camp again. 

River didn’t bother with a tent, starting a small fire and curling up next to it in her sleeping bag. While Bill and Heather slept in no time, River’s thoughts were too busy and loud to sleep through. Anita was out there somewhere alone and the lot of them were traveling on the blind hope that she was still alive. What if they found her and she was dead? What if she was alive, but hurt?

It was clear from the moment she found out she was the Avatar that people in this world were willing to do anything to get to River. They’d destroyed her home, followed her, threatened the people around her, and now this. Was this always part of being the Avatar? Did other Avatars have to face constant threats because of their identities?

River sighed and wished Melody or any Avatar would show their face. It wasn't that Bill and Heather weren’t good company, but she still didn’t know them as well as she knew Clara or Anita. Hell, even John would be a familiar face… not that she wanted him to show his baby face now. There was enough to deal with.

If that smoking thing was following them, they would need a plan and River had a few ideas...

An hour or two passed before Heather slammed the walls of the earth tents away again. “That thing is back!”

River groaned. Noone was severely surprised by this but at least the other two had gotten a few winks in. “Back on Cal everyone. We’re not stopping this time.”

They didn’t run but kept a fast pace for several hours as they pressed forwards. They weren’t on the direct path towards Ba Sing Se any more. In fact, River wasn’t entirely sure where they were going except away from what was following. 

By evening, Heather needed to stop from the aches and pains in her body. They had come up some hills by then and had a view over the landscape. River could see the smoke in the distance from their pursuer. 

“It’s still coming,” she murmured to the others. River pulled some of the water from her water skin and started working on Heather’s joints with palliative healing. 

“I don’t think I can ride Cal any longer,” Heather winced. “Hurts too much.” 

“But we have to,” said Bill. “That thing is going to catch up and I don’t want to find out the hard way what it wants.”

River looked at Heather who was visibly uncomfortable and she could see the pain in her eyes. “Ok…” River mumbled slowly and reached out. She could feel the water from a stream not far away. “Let me try something.” River thought about Donna and how the moon influenced the people of the water tribe. Right now the moon was only half full, but for River that was enough. She reached out and called the water closer. It came slowly, much, much more water than River had actively commanded before. 

“What the…” Bill mumbled and River took another deep breath. 

“Ok…” She mumbled and made the water come closer. It stopped shortly before Heather’s body and River took a deep breath. “Bill.” She said. You take the ostrich horse. I’ll get onto Cal.” Commanding the water mass like this was exhausting and River could see her hands shaking. “But— ” Bill looked confused between the water mass and River and then Heather.

“Do it!” River snapped. “Now!” She tried somehow to get onto Cal without losing her control over the water. By the time she was safe in the saddle Bill was already done and looked up to her. 

“And now?” River closed her eyes and imagined the water flowing slowly around Heather lifting her up and holding her so her joints and limbs were safe and wouldn’t hurt. She heard the intake of breath from Bill and the confused giggle from Heather and then she felt the cool aura of water behind her. 

“Cal.” River mumbled slowly. “Get us away from the thing. I’m counting on you because I’ll need to concentrate on Heather. That means you have to look out for Bill.” Her friend huffed and then started walking. 

“How do you do that?” Heather asked and River could hear the slight tension in her voice. 

River turned around and grinned. “A lot of concentration, a bit of skill, and the voice of a friend berating me.” She explained drily. 

Heather giggled but shivered in the next moment and River realized that the water was cold, yes, but Heather was submerged in the water. “Oh!” She mumbled and took a deep breath. The flame that left her mouth was blue. A deep dark hot blue made the water heat within a heartbeat and Heather relaxed so suddenly that River grinned. The water bed wobbled dangerously to the side. 

“Oh shit!” River cursed and quickly did her best to stabilize Heather. It seemed to work as they moved quickly and carefully through the woods. 

River couldn’t remember a time when she had to concentrate so hard on something. She was even working up a sweat with the effort of bending. 

The creative solution only worked for an hour before River nearly dropped Heather and they all had to stop again. River got off Cal panting. Bill and Heather followed suit, looking worried. 

“Where are we?” Bill asked. The trees had thinned out, becoming more dry and barren. There wasn’t much vegetation where they were either—no cover of green canopy or soft grass to sit on. 

River looked around as she caught her breath. “Must have gone south.” 

Heather sat on the ground next to River. Bill was too anxious to sit, pacing in front of Cal and Basil. “What about Ba Sing Se? How are we going to get there now?”

“That’s not our priority anymore,” Heather hummed. Bill wondered how she was so calm before realizing she was staring and looked away quickly.

The sun was starting to lighten the sky, making a red streak on the horizon. Ahead of then, the land deteriorated even more into what seemed to be a barren desert. The three of them realized this with an air of seriousness. No citizen who lived in the Earth Kingdom was unfamiliar with the Si Wong Desert that occupied the middle of the continent. The place was a death trap and uninhabitable. Rumor had it that the spirits made the desert so horrid to keep humans away from… something. 

“That’s a bit more south than I was hoping,” River groaned. “But if we follow the edge of the desert back north, we can get back on track.”

“Not if we don’t do something about that!”

River and heather looked to where Bill was pointing to see the familiar smoke of their chaser. 

River stood up quickly, her expression turning hard. “We can’t just keep running. I’m sick of it.”

“I’m a fan of running, thank you,” Bill pointed out. “It’s keeping us safe.”

“No, it’s just delaying the inevitable. We can’t keep this up, Bill.”

Bill opened her mouth to argue but shut it quickly as she realized River was right. Heather didn’t seem to disagree, either. 

“Do you have a plan?” Heather asked. 

River’s fists burst into flame and she got to her feet. “The usual.” 

After a few minutes, during which Bill got Heather’s wheelchair for her, the shape of something came into view. It was enormous: like a silver snake. It looked like rooms being carried on wheels—none of them had seen anything like it. 

The machine raced towards the group, smoke spewing out of the top. Finally, it stopped about 50 meters away from them. 

“Ok, I wasn’t expecting this!” River mumbled and out of the corner of her eyes she saw Bill reaching for her fans. 

“Whatever this is,” Heather muttered. “It’s made for the earth.”

“What are you saying.” River muttered stating as a part of the thing lifted and people streamed out of it.

“They can’t follow us on the sand. Or below the earth.” River wanted to stare at Heather, but something about the people coming closer made her senses scream to NOT look away. She had a strange feeling that she knew those people, that she had seen…

The first of the three came into clear view and River groaned. “You have to be fucking kidding me!” She growled. She remembered. The blonde woman at the left was Kate Steward. River remembered stories about the woman. Some said she was the daughter of one of the best fighters in the fire nation, but she rarely used her father’s name and instead had worked her way up to the royal palace on her own. 

The other two girls were identical twins. They looked a lot softer than they actually were and River knew that both of them while minor benders had mastered a special kind of firebending that allowed them to  _ change _ their appearance, by bending the light around them. 

River had heard about and admired those three for a long time, but it was the person in the middle that really got her attention. The similarities were not that obvious, but they were there. The shade of her hair, the line of her brows, the way she moved. River knew the woman in front of her. 

“The fire princess.” She muttered. Lady Missy, John's sister. If there was any doubt, it became clearer when the group of fire benders came closer. Missy looked exactly like all the paintings and statues. 

Heather swallowed. “That  _ what _ ?”

“Sh!” River hissed.

There were a few things every kid learned when they started school.  _ Real  _ school, the bending and army kind of school. For one: the fire nation is generous by helping them. By giving the colonies so much freedom, they should be grateful. 

Two: the best way to show how grateful you are is by fighting for your nation.

Three: If you ever met a member of the royal family, kneel and under no circumstances look at them. 

River was fighting those lessons in her head. With John, it had been easy to forget what her teachers had drilled into her. He wasn’t like… _ that. _ He was kind in a strange way. Honest and humble, especially when he was alone. 

Missy on the other hand... River felt the urge to kneel, but at the same time looking at her was like she could hear her village burn. Like she felt the cold sting of the south pole, where her people had been stolen. River felt the coy charm around her neck and then she remembered that she was the Avatar. She wouldn’t kneel before someone like her.

“Your highness.” Oh, River loved how Missy’s face screwed up in anger and her grin was sharp and full of teeth.

“I’m perplexed by my brother’s ability to fail over and over again,” Missy said. Though her expression was offended, her voice was precise. Every word she spoke was spoken with the knowledge of her own power. 

River blinked. “They sent you because John failed?”

Missy inspected her nails. “You and Johnny boy are on a first-name basis now, are you? How intimate.”

River bit her tongue, trying not to look embarrassed in front of fire nation royalty.

Missy continued on a sigh. “My, my, you two must have met quite a few times by now. And every single time he’s come up empty-handed. That either makes you very clever or him a love-struck coward.”

Before River could make any sort of response, Missy lunged forwards with her hand extended. From her finger came a light too bright to look at and a deafening crack of thunder.

River found herself on the ground only to realize Bill was above her and had pushed River out of the way. 

“Was that lightning??” Bill whimpered as they both got to their feet. 

The question didn’t need to be answered. Before River could even retaliate, Heather was placing her feet on the ground. The three other women, Kate and the twins, suddenly sunk into the ground to their wastes, unable to move.

“There,” Heather said proudly. “Two against one. Better odds there.”

“There’s three of us,” Bill frowned. 

“Oh. Right. Sorry, I just didn’t count you. You know… no bending.”

Bill turned red and River couldn’t tell if she was embarrassed or offended. She didn’t have time to ponder as Missy started running at them with impressive speed. 

River threw fire at the princess, but she somehow dodged every single shot. Heather brought rocks up from the ground, but Missy didn’t trip on any of them. It was like she was always a step ahead, anticipating their moves before they made them.

Bill grabbed Heather’s wheelchair and pushed her out of the way as Missy jumped and rained blue fire on them. River jumped the opposite way to dodge, feeling the heat on her back.

“Oh for…” She stopped cold, her back to the fight. Froze in place like a damn idiot. “ _ Shit _ ” She muttered and turned around. “GUYS!” She screamed, halting the fight. Even the three others, half way out of their earth prisons looked up. 

“Can we please end this?” She asked, because as much as she appreciated this change in pace. River would very much like to live for another day.

None of them would be able to withstand the sandstorm coming straight for them.

River was a bit of a danger junky, but even she knew better than to do something like this. 

“Missy.” Kate managed to get out of her prison first, the Osgood twins still trying their best. “We have to go.” The princess turned with an angry scowl and River used the moment of distraction to get to Heather and Bill. 

“We have to get out of here. I’m good, but not even I can withstand something like this.” Bill nodded, already reaching for Heather, but she stopped Bill. 

“We have to get closer to the sand storm.” There was a beat of silence and they just stared at their friend. 

“What?” River hissed one eye on the Princess who was arguing just as badly with her companions. 

“Heather why…” 

“Earth. Under earth. If we do it right it will look like we run into the sand storm and you did an Avatar thing. Instead, we are below the earth.” 

“These people have tracked us halfway across the earth kingdom, gods know how. Do you really think that will work?”

Heather nodded.

River bit her lip and sighed. If it didn’t work, there would just be more fighting. If it did then, the princess would run elsewhere looking for her. There wasn’t much time to decide. “Alright, fine. But if this kills us don’t expect me to thank you.”

“What about Cal and Basil?” Bill fretted.

“I can fit them underground, too.”

“Cal hates confined spaces,” River pointed out. “She starts panicking and trying to escape. I don’t want to put her through that!”

“We don’t have a choice!” Heather insisted. She grabbed her wheels and started towards the oncoming storm. Bill followed. 

“Shit,” River said to herself. “We’re really doing this… oh, what have I got myself into?” Finally, River followed.

Grains of sand stung her skin as they were flung around by the wind. From the looks of it, Bill and Heather weren’t enjoying it much either. River had grabbed Cal and Basil’s reigns but the two animals were fighting back, trying to get away from the danger. 

“Any time now!” River shouted at Heather, struggling to keep the animals calm. Suddenly, the ground below her seemed to disappear and River shouted as she fell into darkness with Cal and Basil.

The wind was no longer blowing.

River felt carefully around until she picked up the reigns she’d dropped. 

“Cal?”

River felt a wet nose press into her side and heard the eelhound whimper. “It’s okay, darling. It’s okay."

  
River brought a low flam to her palm, trying to look around. Basil was sitting silently, too shocked to have the same fearful reaction as Cal. A little ways away, Bill and Heather sat, rubbing their bruises.

River went over to them, Cal following. “Could've gone with a softer landing.”

Heather rolled her eyes. “Why don’t you try it and see how soft you can make it.”

River smiled weakly, glancing around. They were in some sort of closed-off hole of Heather’s making. It was big enough for the three of them plus the animals, but not much more. Above ground, the wind of the storm howled. Cal whined. 

“So, how long are we down here?” Billed asked.

“At least until the storm stops,” River answered, sitting down.

“Who were you talking about, with the Princess I mean?” Bill asked and sat down against Basil’s soft feathers.

River sighed. “John. Prince John of the Fire Nation. He’s her older brother and the next in life for Fire Lord. It’s his…” She hesitated. River had picked up the pieces over the few times they had met and puzzled it out. There had been a rumor about banishment and he talked about it when they first met. “It’s his job, kind of to find me and drag me before his father.” 

Bill hummed slowly and River turned to Heather. “How are your joints? Do you like to have another healing session?”

Heather wasn’t listening. “You know what’s strange?” She mumbled, catching both Bills and River’s full attention.

“The earth around us is completely untouched. Nothing but stone and earth and some metal in between, but there is something else too.” River sat up straight. “Please don’t tell me that things they were following us with  _ can _ go underneath.”

Heather shook her head. “No this is different.” It’s man-made, but of stone…almost like a tower.” 


	17. The Man in the Moon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “A library?” River whispered as Bill finally made it down from the rope with a thud.  
> Bill got to her feet, sticking close to River. “What’s a library doing buried under a desert?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> plot time!

**Chapter Seventeen: The Man in the Moon**

Heather’s seismic sense wasn’t mistaken. There was some sort of structure under the earth, but what Heather failed to mention was just how far away it was. They traveled for almost an hour underground before Heather uncovered part of a brick wall. By then, Cal and Basil were scratching anxiously at the tunnel walls and begging to go to the surface again. 

River stepped up to the wall, running her fingers along the stone. Something about it didn’t feel right. It was like seeing a flower growing in the middle of a field barren and burnt. It didn’t belong. 

“Heather, what is this?”

Heather touched the wall with intense focus. “Feels like a whole building. A really, really big one.”

River sighed. “Something tells me it’s not so wheelchair friendly?” 

Heather shook her head. “Behind this part, there’s a big drop. I’m not ready to navigate that…”

“Why don’t you take Cal and Basil to the surface, hm?” River suggested softly, stroking Cal’s snout. The eelhound whimpered as she’s been doing every few seconds. “Keep an eye out and all. Bill and I will take a look in there and see what the situation is.”

Bill nearly choked. “We will?”

“Look, I can feel something in there," River admitted. "I don’t know what it is but it's calling to me.”

“Oh no,” Bill groaned, “this isn’t one of your avatar instincts again, is it?” 

River grinned which only made Bill more hesitant. After a little more convincing, the group split up. Heather made a hole in the wall for River and Bill, then made a path to the surface. Cal and Basil almost knocked Heather over when they saw sunlight, running out of the tunnel at a gallop. 

River chuckled. “There’s water for them in the pack. If anything happens, just send us a signal and we’ll get out as soon as we can.”

Heather nodded. “Good luck.”

As Heather had predicted, there was an enormous drop beyond the wall. River and Bill had to get rope out to climb down. Once on solid ground, River produced a flame from her hand, hoping to make anything out in the pitch black. Around them were columns and hallways, seemingly untouched. They stretched farther than River could see and lining every wall were shelves upon shelves of books.

“A library?” River whispered as Bill finally made it down from the rope with a thud.

Bill got to her feet, sticking close to River. “What’s a library doing buried under a desert?”

“Well… I’m no expert but every time I find shit like this it usually has something to do with spirits.” River turned towards one of the hallways, stopping in her tracks. “Do you see that or is this one of those ‘only the avatar can see it’ situations again?”

Bill peered over River’s shoulder. “The fox?”

River relaxed. “Good. You can see it.”

In front of them, no bigger than a house cat, sat a silver fox. It looked at them expectantly, tilting its head. 

River stepped forwards. “Hello. Are you, um, is this your library?”

The fox blinked, yawned, then turned to go down the hall. After a few steps, it paused and looked back at the humans, waiting.

River glanced at Bill. “Remind me how much experience you have with spirits?”

Bill looked pale and drained. “None!”

“Well, you’re about to get some. Follow it.” River didn’t wait, heading after the fox. Bill scrambled after them, not wanting to be left alone in the dark.

They walked and with every large hall they crossed, River felt the tiny little girl that loved stories inside her squeal louder and louder. Everyroom was giant with bookshelves three times Cal’s size and even bigger. Hundreds and hundreds of books everywhere and in the spaces that were too small for books there were scrolls.

“This place is amazing!” River whispered, barely keeping her hands away from the shelfs.

“I don’t know, I feel creeped out!” Bill mumbled and River turned her head. 

“It’s not that bad!” She stopped cold in the middle of a room. River felt Bill stopping barely behind her. 

“River what…” 

The man was back—the one from her dreams. She’d been seeing him since she came to the Earth Kingdom, but he generally didn’t appear outside of her dreams. But there he was, standing in the middle of the room. His half torn clothing was darker than River ever had seen it.

He looked at her and then turned his head to the side. “Look at those books when you have met the spirit.” River blinked and he was gone.

“Miss Song.” A voice called and River hissed as Bill gripped her arm painfully tight. “And Miss Potts.” The fox trotted around the corner of a bookshelf and after the animal a man came into view. He was dressed in a style of clothing that River had never seen before. He was wearing a simple black robe and trousers, both of them were embroidered with hundreds of not thousands of unrecognizable little symbols. 

“Who are you?” River asked after a moment of silence and carefully, slowly reached back into Bills tunik to get one of her fans. She wouldn’t use fire in this place. The idea of harming those books felt like a slap to the face and water wasn’t really an option either, but a physical weapon? Nobody could stop her using that.

The man smiled and bowed down to lift the fox into his arms. The animal turned its head and met River’s stare head on. 

For a moment the fox was gone and a young woman stood in her place, holding the man’s hand and smiling. She looked familiar and River’s heart lurged. 

“I’m Moon. I’m the Librarian and the guardian of this place and this is my companion. Her name is Lake.” 

River felt her nose wrinkle at that name. River and Lake, really she could hear the stupid comments already.

“You are welcome to look through our library, but I must warn you. We do not accept any hostile thoughts in our library. The last time somebody came here they tried to find a way to destroy a whole nation.”

The cold shiver tha rushed down Rivers' spine made her shiver violently and a soft voice in her head whispered about the air nomads.

“They succeeded.” River whispered and fixed her eyes onto the spirits robe. She noticed that the little symbols on his robe were shifting and flowing. Peaceful in a way. 

“I know, that’s why I warn you now.” 

River turned her head and looked at the man. “Why are you warning us and not kicking us out?” Bill behind her hissed and the man laughed loudly.

“Because, Avatar, Your sister is wishing for it.” 

River jerked back and started at the man. “I don’t have a sister!” She said, her voice flat and shaking. She didn't... right?

Immediately the man looked concerned and the fox flicked her tail into his face. “Oh,” Moon whispered softly and took a few steps closer. “You’re not one with you past Avatar.” He shook his head and petted the fox. “Lake. She was your sister many, many years and lifetimes ago. The first time you came here. She decided to stay with me and look over the books, because she loved them so much.”

River swallowed. How old was this place? Which one of her lives had been here before and had she met them already? So many questions filled her mind, but foremost was a feeling that Moon’s story wasn’t the whole truth. How could anyone leave their sister alone in the dark, even if she loved books?

“The information you seek is that way,” Moon put the fox down and pointed. “Lake will guide you there.”

“We’re not really looking for anything…” River murmured.

Moon raised an eyebrow. “Everyone is looking for something, Avatar.”

River blinked as the spirit had vanished. She turned to Bill, handing the fan back. “Looks like I didn’t need to use this after all.”

Bill swallowed. “Um… what did he mean by hostile thoughts?”

“Think positive, Bill. Smile.” River shrugged and followed the fox once more. 

The humans remained quiet as they followed their guide. River found herself with so many questions she didn’t know where to begin. 

As they walked, she could feel breath on the back of her neck. Without turning, she knew it was the vision from before, the nameless man in dark torn clothing. Bill didn’t seem to notice him at all, despite the fact he was following so closely behind them. He was really starting to annoy her.

Finally, they stopped in a room. It was no different from any of the other rooms, just books upon books filling floor to ceiling. The fox started pulling out texts and laying them in front of River.

River sat down. “Well Bill, I hope you’re ready for some reading. Looks like we've got homework.”

River swore she could hear Bill grumble something about primary school bullshit as she sat next to her. 

The first text was a scroll. River recognized instantly that it was of fire nation origin. There was a certain way the fire nation prepared and bound scroll that was unmistakable… that, and the big fire nation insignia was hard to miss.

“It looks like a letter,” River murmured as she read the first few lines. “It’s to Fire Lord Sozin from an advisor… this was written just after the air nomad genocide.” She swallowed hard. She could hear echoes of crying children and prayed it was just her imagination. 

River cleared her throat and continued reading aloud to Bill. “ _ High praise to you, Lord of our Nation, for the highest achievements and most honor brought to our nation…  _ my, my this groveling goes on for a while. Ah, here we are.  _ The team you sent to extract survivors was successful. We expect to return in three days' time to your gracious presence. The homeland team is preparing the holding chambers as requested.” _

River frowned as she read, the expression deepening with every word. 

_ “All prisoners appear to be benders. As per order, propagation will be mandated. Any non-bending lineage will be removed promptly.” _

River dropped the scroll and grabbed the next one Lake had chosen. It was a loose leaf and the handwriting suggested the writer was a child.  _ “They took Tensin away and the others say we will never see her again. Mika said it’s because she can't bend like me. I wish I could have given her my powers and then she could fly away from this place. I learned how to fly, but I can only do it for a few seconds, then I get tired and have to stop. The air is stale and doesn’t make for good practice.” _

“An air bender?” Bill asked.

River was frantic now, grabbing the next book. It was fire nation again; a record book from the palace. The only thing was, the book was blank. River knew this trick: it was to keep people away from information they should have. She heated her hand and pressed it to the page, revealing writing as she went.

“It’s names,” Bill whispered. “It’s just a bunch of names.”

“Prisoner names,” River croaked. 

On the second page, one of the names was circled several times over: Mels Zucker. Next to the name, was written “Avatar.”

Lake dropped a final book into River’s lap. It was another record from the Firenation, only this one has a cover page inside. It read, “Progress Notes,” and was signed by M. Kovarian. 

As River turned the page, her flame went out. She tried to make another, but nothing happened. “Bill?” River called, but there was no answer. She reached out blindly in the darkness but couldn’t feel Bill. She couldn’t feel the books or scrolls or even the floor. There was nothing.

Suddenly, there were whispered voices somewhere in front of her. They were saying something just out of reach of her understanding—the words were clear but it was as if she’d forgotten her own language. She couldn’t understand any of it. Suddenly there was light again and River looked at her hands. Dark, scarred skin looked back at her and she realized her clothes were different as well. But that wasn’t all. There was anger and hat coursing through her. Hot and burning slowly taking over every single thought she had and leaving nothing, but one single urge. To hurt those people. To take them apart and leave nothing.

When she looked up, there was a furiously looking woman. Her hair was pitch black and even though it was in a tight bun on her head, it looked messy and wrong. River felt her world turn red. The anger spiking and she reached out.

_ All those years _ . A voice mumbled…screamed?

_ All those years and those trials you put me through. The promises you made and this…”  _ The flames of the torches around them turned darker until the once light orange flames burned deep red. The stone walls of the hallway cracked and little pieces broke away. 

She saw a man behind the woman. His face was a mix of hate, anger, and fear. River felt her borrowed face twist and the grin it was wearing showed too many teeth. 

_ You made me! You pay the price! _ The voice called and then the air around them turned cold and disappeared. The man choked and gasped sinking to his knees and River felt the smile on her face grow.

_ You made me! _ The voice said again. There was still air around them, coming back from the other hallways and the windows close to them. 

_ You pay the price _ . The hands that didn’t belong to her rose to take the air, to kill them all, but before anything else could happen, white light surrounded her. For a moment the face of the woman flickered and instead she saw Missy. Then it flickered back and the anger turned into fear. Every part of her screamed out in pain. The fear drowned out the red of her vision had the other hands balled into fists. The other woman screamed and everything turned dark. 

River dropped the record book, panting. Lake and Bill stared at her like she had a second head. The book of Kovarian’s notes had landed open. The only thing on the pages was a date: the same day River was born.

“Um…” Bill put a hand on River’s back and tried not to think too much about how River flinched. “Are you okay?”

It took River a few moments to speak. “I want to leave.”

When Bill and River got to their feet, Moon was standing in front of them again. Only River saw the old man standing behind Moon.

“For your travels.” Moon handed River and Bill a bag. It has some more scrolls inside and River made Bill hold it for the time being. 

_ Ask him about the nomads _ . The husky voice of the old man whispered and River saw Moon twitching. 

“I…” She shot the spirit a helpless look and tried her best to ignore the shaking of her hands. “Are there still…” 

Moon looked at her and tilted his head. “You are afraid of the eclipse aren’t you?” He asked his eyes, getting a strange gleam, that made River step back. Her instinct told her to leave it and run. But the voice, the voice of  _ Mels _ told her to be honest. 

“Yes.” River whispered. 

Moon smiled and raised a hand. A part of the wall disappeared, and sunlight streamed into the room. “The royal palace had many, many catacombs,” Moon said and stepped back into the shadows. 

Lake rubbed her body against River's legs looking up at her with large eyes. River bowed before she could think and suddenly the young woman stood next to her. 

“The royal family never stays in the palace during a solar eclipse. It’s a ritual, a tradition they never break.” The woman smiled at River and hugged her. “Don’t worry about me little sister. I’m happy here. Moon is good to me, better than the man I would have been with. You didn’t abandon me. You gave me another chance.” Lake gave her another kiss on the head and then returned to her fox body. 

The creature grinned up at River and ran over to Moon. 

“Leave now Avatar. Your friend needs your help.”

Bill’s eyes widened, and for the first time, she wasn’t thinning about the fact that they were in a strange spirit library. “Heather!” She grabbed River’s hand and they started running. 

The sun was painfully bright after being underground for so long. When River and Bill’s eyes finally adjusted to the light, they saw Cal chewing on a shoe that didn’t belong to any of them. Next to her, Heather sat like a pleased cat, and around her, about eight men in rag-like clothes lay unconscious in the sand.

Bill ran over to Heather and River just stared. “What the hell happened?”

“I could ask you the same,” Heather said as Bill hugged her. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

To River’s surprise, Heather was hugging Bill back and on top of everything she’d just learned, she added a mental note to lock them in a room together. 

“Are these sand benders?” Bill asked when she pulled away. 

“Yeah,” Heather nodded. “Underestimated me as per usual. One of these days people are going to realize that I’m the greatest earthbender of all time.”

River smiled weakly. “Any sign of the Princess?”

“Nope. Doesn't look like she followed us at all. She probably went around… we should be careful. She’s still looking for us.”

River nodded and went over to them. She took the bag from Bill with the book in it and started to look through. There were a few maps, some story books, and some of the records they were looking at before. 

Additionally, there was a little, over used, blue book. RIver picked that one up and opened it to see the familiar ancient language of Gallifreyan. “Looks like a diary,” River said to herself. Why would Moon give her a book in a language she couldn’t read? 

“You two have got to tell me everything,” Heather was saying. 

“Well, we have a long way to go to Ba Sing Se. I’m sure we can catch you up,” River nodded. “We should cut through the desert if Missy is still out there. She won’t bother us here.”

“What?” Bill and Heather looked rather horrified. “You want us to walk through miles of  _ this?” _

River glanced at them with a smile. “No, I want you to  _ sail  _ through it.” She pointed by one of the unconscious benders where their sand glider was. “I’m sure these lovely gentlemen won’t mind if we borrow their equipment.”

“Finally, something that won’t kill my back,” Heather sighed in relief. 

The group made themselves at home on one of the sails and tied it to Cal and Basil to pull them. 

“Now tell me everything!” Heather insisted. 

“Well... “ Where was she supposed to start? “There are airbenders still alive and I think they’re trapped in the heart of the fire nation.”


	18. The Arrival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> River didn’t mention the visions to Bill or Heather for a long time. How could she explain it to them when it didn’t even make sense to her? The old man, who River decided to call Sandshoes, for now, sat on the edge of the sand-glider the entire trip through the desert without saying a word.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quite happy with this chapter. Enjoy :)

**Chapter Eighteen:** The Arrival

In the harsh light of the desert sun, the evidence from the Library was unquestionable: airbenders were alive, kept prisoner in the heart of the fire nation. Survivors from the genocide had been brought to the homeland for the purpose of finding the next avatar. Those benders were forced to procreate to keep the secret generation alive to this day. 

It was hard material to read between graphic descriptions of forced fornication and details of the deaths that came from the imprisonment. River often felt the need to stop reading out loud as much of these horrors were too awful to speak of.

Sometimes, while Bill and Heather were asleep, River opened the list of prisoner names and stared at the name circled several times: Mels Zucker. Next to the name was the word “avatar.” 

It made some sort of cruel sense, River agreed to herself. She remembered Clara’s musing’s about the avatar cycle—Melody had been the Earth Avatar despite her nomad upbringing. Because of that confusion, the world thought the cycle had stopped, but the Fire Nation didn’t take chances. That’s why they destroyed the temples, killing poor Melody in the process. That’s why they kept prisoners under close eye: to find the avatar.

And they did. Circled right here on the page was the Air Avatar. A girl named Mels. who lived her whole life as a prisoner. Was that who she saw in her vision?

River didn’t mention the visions to Bill or Heather for a long time. How could she explain it to them when it didn’t even make sense to her? The old man, who River decided to call Sandshoes, for now, sat on the edge of the sand-glider the entire trip through the desert without saying a word. River couldn’t help but find herself annoyed at the apparition. He  _ knew  _ something about that vision. River could feel it. He knew something. 

_ You made me! You pay the price! _

It was Mels. River knew that much at least. And the date in the back of the training notes matched River’s birthday exactly... It was the day Mels died, wasn’t it? River was sure of it. It was the day that the fire nation turned their attention to the water tribes to look for the next avatar. It was the day the southern tribe was locked into a path that would take away all their benders except one. And it was the day that two, very scared and desperate tribes folk ran to the River of Songs to give their newborn girl into safer hands.

Nights in the desert were difficult for River, but less so for Bill and Heather. When she wasn’t turning over her new realizations, River watched Bill and Heather sleep peacefully next to each other. On occasion, she ‘accidentally’ directed Cal over a bump that brought Heather to curl her arms around Bill unconsciously. 

Under the amusement, there was something almost sacred about watching the two clueless girls stumble over affection for each other. There was a war on, a crazy woman chasing them, a powerful organization that kidnapped their friend, and yet River’s companions were still finding the time to blush over each other.

It took a bit over a week to get out of the desert. River had hoped Sandshoes might disappear by then, but for some damn reason he kept on following. When she had a moment alone, River tried to banish the spirit every way she could think of, but none of it worked.

She distracted herself with other things, mainly relief of being out of that barren desert. The first thing the group did was find a lake and swim for hours. Even Cal and Basil were chirping and playing in the water—it was a very needed break. It was also really helpful that River had no problem bending the water cooler whenever it got too hot. Or warmer when one of them started to get cold.

“So…” Bill asked as she toweled herself dry, completely ignoring River’s attempt to bend her dry. “Don’t glare at me!” Bill grumbled and glared at River. The last time I let somebody dry me with bending Basil managed to make my hair impossibly poofy for a week.” 

River winced and raised a hand to her own curls. “He tried hot air, right? Like one large gush of it?” 

Bill nodded and shuddered. 

“Yeah…” River chuckled lightly. “My parents tried that too. Didn’t go well, but water bending is amazing, c’mon Bill trust me!” 

“Could you two stop? We need to get to Ba Sing Se and your hair won’t help us!” 

River and Bill shared an exasperated glance, but agreed and turned to the map Heather was holding. The three gathered around the map with a more serious tone.

“Look.” Heather pointed to a small strip of land surrounded by water. “That pass there is the only way over to Ba Sing Se from here unless we want to spend an extra week going around. Something tells me it won’t be an easy route… I don’t mean to be picky but I’m not riding Cal through that. And I don’t think my wheelchair will suffice it.”

“We’ll go across the water then,” River hummed.

Bill and Heather stared at her. 

River rolled her eyes. “I promise I’m not going to make you ride Cal. Bill and I will ride her and pull you in an iceboat that I make. As long as you don’t mind a little cold it should work fine.”

“Are you sure?” Bill hesitated. “I mean, I’m sure your water bending is fine but… I don’t know. I’ve just got a feeling.”

“It’s something like fifteen miles across. Maybe twenty,” Heather added. “Can Cal swim all of that?”

“She can,” Rive assured, “But we can pop onto the land to camp. Shouldn’t be a problem.”

Bill and Heather exchanged glances once again. It wasn’t a perfect plan, but it was the best they had so far. If trouble came for them then they’d do what they always did: improvise. 

They left their lakeside relaxing spot in the afternoon after a lunch of rabbit-deer that Cal had caught. It wasn’t too far to the water’s edge, about an hour and a half, so Heather agreed to mount Basil for now. 

River had vowed after weeks surrounded by ice and snow in the north that she could die happy if she never saw a drop of water again. When they met the water’s edge, she found herself with a burst of joy at the spray of gentle waves.

“Is this the ocean?” Bill asked. “Did we go the right way?”

River chuckled. “It’s freshwater, Bill. It's a lake. Just a really, really big one.”

“I don’t see the other side.” Bill squinted. “I’ve never seen a lake like this.”

Next to them, a thin bridge of stone split the lake in two. The landmass looked jagged and unpleasant. It didn’t look easy even for an able-bodied person and River was suddenly very glad they were taking the water route.

“Let’s get a shift on,” River murmured as she made an iceboat big enough for Heather and Basil to climb inside. They fastened the boat to Cal with rope and headed off into the water.

-x-

John almost screamed. Luckily his father was a bastard, his sister a menace, and sometimes his aunt was worse than both of them, so he had practice in NOT screaming. Still, it was a tight fit. 

“I’m going to murder them,” he growled and only the hand of his aunt stopped him from lunging for those two idiots who were currently harassing a girl. She couldn’t be older than John, but the men themself were at least in their fifties. 

“Let’s be more diplomatic.” Even Idris sounded torn and John grinned. 

“I have an idea!” And then he was gone with two trays of tea. 

“Hey!” He shouted and the men turned, their eyes narrowed and angry. 

“What is it boy,” one of them said and John lowered one of the trays before the girl. 

“Harassing employees on break is illegal. Are you aware of that?” he asked innocently and then turned to the girl. She looked shell shocked and a bit confused. “Those teas are for the table in the corner under the dragon painting and after that my aunt needs you in the kitchen.”

The girl almost beamed and basically jumped out of her seat, grabbed the tray, and made her way into the corner of the room he had pointed out. 

“Now,” John turned to the two men with a smile as he collected the still steaming tea of the girl and put it on his tray. “Do you want some tea or have I to call the city police?”

They ordered without complaining and sat down on the now vacant table. John smiled at them when he left and headed to the kitchen. 

“Oh, that’s nice darling.” He heard his aunt’s voice and rolled his eyes. 

“Be careful,” he warned teasingly. “Or my aunt will not let you go.” He mumbled and his aunt glared at him. The girl giggled. 

“Thank you for the rescue, by the way. I’m Nancy.” 

John smiled and put her tea before her. “It’s alright, honestly I’m surprised this hadn’t happened sooner.” 

His aunt rolled her eyes. “Excuse my nephew, he’s a pessimist that has for far seen no master.” 

Nancy giggled again and then suddenly got very stiff. “Damn, I need to go. The children are waiting for me and…” 

Both John and Idris shared a look. “The children?” Nancy couldn’t be older than sixteen.

“I…um…” She looked away and something in his mind clicked. 

“You live on the streets.” 

Nancy stiffened and glared at him. “I do not. I own a flat further down the city.” 

Idris sighed and laid a hand on top of Nancy’s. “What Li wants to say is that you take care of the street kids right?” 

Nancy glanced away and nodded. “Either I do or the Vashta Nerada” 

John jerked a bit at the mention of the underground organization. Idris on the other hand was frowning. “We do need a little help when it comes to errands don’t we Li?” 

“Oh, um, yes. Totally. Definitely. Could use the help, I mean.”

Idris sighed at John and took over the talk that he was so suddenly horrible at. “If you want to send any of the little ones our way, we’d be happy to keep them busy during the day. It would be our pleasure, really.”

Nancy clearly wasn’t used to such an offer of help but smiled widely. “I’ll think it over.” She bowed. “I’ll see you next shift. Thank you, Miss Sidra.”

Idris waved as the girl left the tea shop. “Sidra… still needs some getting used to.”

John raised a barely-there brow. “We’ve been here for weeks. You aren't used to it yet?”

“It just catches me off guard sometimes,” Idris shrugged.

It had been an amazing stroke of luck upon arriving at Ba Sing Se that they had found the Cook so quickly. Since parting ways before the Siege on the North, he had made his way here and set up this lovely tea shop in the lower ring. Blending in as employees was easier than ever, but some old habits, unfortunately, carried over.

That was to say, that the silly little flirts between his aunt and the cook got worse by the day. John was sure he’d seen the cook’s hands wander when Idris passed by and the worst of it was that his aunt seemed to enjoy it.

It wasn’t the subtle teases of a general and a servant anymore. This courtship—though John despised thinking of it as a courtship— was so obvious that it had a little fan club of customers. (John could hear them theorizing about the cook and his aunt during his breaks.) 

It wasn’t the worst thing in the world, John knew that. At least it made his aunt happy while they figured out what on earth to do now that they were traitors to their nation. And at least the cook meant it. If John remembered one thing about Iroh then the fact that he’d been looking at his aunt like that for  _ years _ . He meant it and that was more important than the power-hungry proposals his aunt had gotten over the years from people wanting her for her position in the royal family.

Idris wouldn’t sit down and talk about it with him, even when they were alone in their flat. All she wanted to talk to him about was girls for some reason. It was more humiliating than watching her flirt with the cook. It was always  _ ‘why don’t you ask out that customer who comes every Tuesday,’  _ and  _ ‘just because we’re in hiding doesn’t mean you can’t get out of the house.’  _

The worst of it was when she brought  _ her  _ up. 

“She was such a nice girl, John,” Idris would say. “Just because you were banished was no reason to break it off.”

“I didn’t break it off, because I was banished! I broke it off long before that because she wasn’t happy and painfully obvious in love with another man.” That was his standard answer to this and also the truth. That didn’t mean he didn’t miss her. 

Rose was a special kind of person and John could imagine being happy with her, but he had seen her face, the day their parents had told them they were engaged. Hell, throughout their whole dating period Rose always had acted kind of awkward and distant. No comparison to his childhood friend. So finding out she loved another man, a man that her father actually liked—Her father liked John too, but he couldn’t stand his father, so their relationship was a bit tense. It had been Rose’s mother pressing for the engagement—It made his decision a bit easier. 

And it had pissed his father off royally. John always grinned at the memory and never would stop. Besides, David was nice and knew how to simultaneously protect Rose and use her furry for himself. Rose was terrifying. Especially when she was angry. John was almost sure that her father had given her lessons. 

“Well it seems you have something of a  _ thing  _ for blondes,” Idris hummed.

John nearly spat out his dinner, his face completely red with embarrassment. “What??”

Idris only smiled and raised a brow at him. “You know what I’m talking about, John.”

“No, I most certainly do NOT know what you’re talking about!”

“The kiss?” 

There was a long beat of silence before John realized when she meant. “SHE POISONED ME!!” he shouted. 

Idris threw her head back laughing. “If she wanted to hurt you she would have used  _ real  _ poison. That was a tranquilizer, dear nephew. Practically asking you out.”

John stuttered, his mouth flapping open and shut with no words. “I, she, but,... ugh! That’s not what happened and you know it! And even if that is what happened, what kind of woman flirts with poisoned lipstick?” 

“What kind of boy flirts with single word compliments about her hair?”

“What? I—she—and there was— I WASN’T FLIRTING!”

“Mmm-hmm. Right.” 

John knew that his aunt had made up her mind about him and the Avatar. But what did she know! He wasn’t flirting, thank you very much! He was just… just… Why did he compliment her hair? It was a distraction tactic, yes that was it. Just a failed distraction to get her to let her guard down and nothing more. 

Nothing more. 

-x-

The outer wall of Ba Sing Se was bigger than anything River could have imagined. It was no wonder the fire nation had never been able to fully penetrate the city before—excluding the dragon of the west but that was a different story.

Heather was the only one who wasn’t amused at the sight of the famous wall. “It’s just a bunch of rock. Any earthbender with a day off could make it.”

“That’s the amazing part, right?” Bill pointed out, “It was made originally by non-benders. That’s awesome!”

Heather shrugged. “It’s a monument to the stupidity of the fire nation.”

River nearly choked. “What??”

“You lot can’t get around a bunch of rocks. I’m just saying that if _ I  _ were trying to take over the most powerful city in the world, I wouldn’t go at it head-on. I’d pretend to be a refugee or something and then boom. Inside the city on the first day, maybe stir up some trouble and convince earth benders to take the wall down for me. Easy.”

Bill and River blinked at her in shock. “Do you… uh… consider your world domination plan often?”

Heather just shrugged. “It’s called common sense and a bit of creativity. I mean how many people thought of using an iceboat to cross that lake.” And then she leveled River with a stare that made River roll her eyes.

“Or freeze a giant snake to defeat it?” 

This time River rolled her eyes. “Snakes are coldblooded. Freezing them…” 

“Common sense!” Heather chirped and River shook her head with fond amusement. 

“Alright wise girl,” she said, “Do us a favor and get us into the city!” 

Even getting close to Ba Sing Se had been hard for them until Heather had pulled out some kind of family heirloom, that made the people around them bow and grovel at their feet.

Heather mumbled something but steered Cal in the direction of the guards. 

They talked for a short amount of time and River saw the heirloom gleaming in the sunlight. She snorted and rolled her eyes, sharing an amused and kind of disgusted look with Bill at the reactions of the guards, but it got them in and that was all they needed.

“So, where do we start?” Heather asked once they were in the trolly to the middle ring. “This city is enormous.” 

River had her eyes fixed on the building passing outside the window. “It helps that there are three of us…We could each start in a different ring?”

Heather scoffed. “In case you’ve forgotten, the inner ring is for the Earth King. No amount of flashy badges can get us in there without an invitation. 

River didn’t seem deterred. “I’m the  _ Avatar.  _ Don’t you think He’ll want to meet me?”

A few heads turned at the word ‘avatar’ and the train felt most silent. River bit her tongue, regretting her loud voice. 

They paused conversion until they got off the train and resumed in a slightly more private place. “Look, I think we should cover as much ground as we can,” River said firmly. “I'll take the upper ring, see if I can’t wiggle in. Heather, you take the middle. Bill, lower ring. Meet back here at sundown.”

Bill looked concerned. “You don’t really expect us to cover entire rings in a day, right? I could probably only do one neighborhood a day at best.”

“I know,” River sighed. “But we’ve got to get moving. Anita’s been alone for two weeks and who knows how patient the Vash… how patient  _ they  _ are. Even if it’s just a foot search, we’ll get a better idea of where to look after today. And talk to as many people as possible, see if we can’t get some intel.”

Bill and Heather agreed to River’s idea after a few more minutes of convincing. Bill would take Basil and Heather would take Cal since the lower and middle ring was bigger than the upper.

Bill squeezed Heather’s hand before they parted. “Be safe okay? I know you can handle yourself but people here are going to see you and think they can rob you or something. I’ve heard way too many stories about thieves and worse.”

“You worry too much,” Heather smiled at her. “I’ll be fine. Besides, Cal won’t let anything happen.”

River snorted and grinned at Bill. “Besides I’ll pay money to see Heather deal with any kind of thieves…” She paused and then looked at her friends overly surprised. 

“Oh wait a moment, I already did that!” 

Heather punched River playfully in the shoulder. “You didn’t pay anything, you ass. I got you in for free.” 

They laughed and joked for a moment longer before they parted ways. 

Bill headed down through the city and by the time she had reached the outer ring of the city, it was time for afternoon tea and the smell of several tea houses made her smile. 

“I really miss Li and his aunt!” She mumbled to Basil and managed at the last moment to stop him when several children ran past in front of him. One of them stumbling and falling. Before she could say anything. Bill heard the screams of several older kids and saw them running in her direction. Without thinking, she steered Basil a bit forward and bowed down to grab the child, a little boy by the collar, and heaved him up onto Basil's back, before her. A moment later she was gone. The child screamed a bit, but soon the boy cheered in joy as Basil ran through the streets at a neck-breaking speed.

“So…” Bill asked when she finally slowed Basil down. “What exactly did you do?” 

The kid couldn’t be older than ten. He looked a little beat up, probably from roughhousing with his friends. “Nothing!”

Bill cocked an eyebrow. “You’re going to lie to the person who just saved you?”

The kid looked embarrassed. “We didn’t mean to… the ball slipped and it went through the window.”

Bill chuckled. “Classic. Well, here’s a deal for you. In exchange for saving you will you show me around a bit? I’m new here.”

He grinned showing off slightly crooked teeth. “Will you buy me a sweet?”

Bill knew she didn’t have any money, but couldn’t find it in her to say no. “We’ll see. Got a name?” 

“Archie,” said Archie. “I like the chocolate cookie that Mrs. Sidra makes. Can we get those?”

She hesitated. He couldn’t possibly mean  _ the  _ Mrs. Sidra, could he? Maybe it was a common last name… “If you tell me how to get there, then sure. I’m Bill by the way.”

“That’s a weird name. Can I call you Bobo?”

“No!” Bill answered but couldn’t help laughing. “Bobo is even worse than Bill. If you’re going to call me Bobo then I’ll have to call you… Chichi.” 

Archie wrinkled his nose. “Chichi is dumb.”

“Bobo is dumb. You’re a smart kid, I think. I’m sure you can come up with something better. Like Mina or something?”

“Mina doesn’t sound anything like Bill. But I’ll try it if you come up with a better one for me.”

Satisfied, Bill held the reins with a new mission to find chocolate cookies. “Lead the way then, Window-Breaker.”

Archie grinned and directed her slowly through the market. They had to turn around three times, but by then Bill had picked up two more kids, who all had thanked her for giving them a chance to disappear from their chasers and for saving them. Basil was not happy with the weight on his back, but they managed to get to the Jasmine Dragon Tea salon after that.

“You go in and ask for your cookies. I have to look after Basil here. Alright?” She asked and the kids nodded. Bill helped Archie down and grinned as he immediately sprinted into the salon and then the happy chatter of children filled the air. Sometimes mixed with the chuckles of adults.

Bill took her time thinking about the odds that the  _ Mrs. Sidra  _ Archie had talked about was the same person she was thinking about. In the end, she had bound and rebound Basil to the wood rail about a water fountain and had patted him down until he was breathing normally again.

She sighed and turned around. “No time like today!” She mused and stepped into the salon. 

“And then Mina grabbed me and pulled me up onto her…um…her animal and promised me cookies.” Bill heard a familiar laugh and stopped cold just out of the door. 

“Well, and where is this Mina then Archie dear?” The woman who was talking was half bowed down to talk to Archie. Bill couldn’t really see her but…

“There!” The boy had seen her and just then the woman looked up.

“Oh, my Spirits!” Bill mumbled. 

Apparently, the odds were rather good.


	19. The Cook and the Thief

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The whole point of Ba Sing Se is staying. We’re safe here. You came here to be safe, didn’t you? To build a new life?”
> 
> John was silent for a long moment. Why did they come here exactly?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> short one today

**Chapter Nineteen:** The Cook and the Thief

Customers turned their heads as Mrs. Sidra squealed and ran to hug Bill. Whatever tea and cookies were being prepared were apparently not as important as squeezing the life out of Bill. Idris only stopped because she was suffocating the poor girl.

Archie tugged on Mrs. Sidra’s apron. “Do you know Mina? Why are you hugging her?”

Idris was grinning so wide Bill though her cheeks might fall off. “I do know her! We worked together for a while some time ago before I came here to Ba Sing Se. Oh, I’m so glad you made it here, Bill!”

Bill was at a loss for words, but her smile matched the older woman’s. “I had help. Just got here today, actually. Ran into Archie here after he broke a window.”

Idris tsked and crouched down to be eye level with Archie. “Archie, did you break Mr. Teesun’s window again?” 

“No! It was the one next to his… I don’t know who lives there.”

“It would be very nice of you to go back and apologize, you know.”

Bill started, amazed at how Mrs. Sidra talked to the child. From their time together, Bill knew Sidra didn’t have any children of her own but something in her voice made Bill think that wasn’t entirely true.

“Will you come with me? Please?”

“Alright, but next time you have to be a big boy and go alone, okay. I end work at six and then we can go together.”

It was at this point that John finally came out of the backroom and spotted who his aunt was talking to. The same reaction of nearly dropping the tea ensued and he rushed over to Bill. “You made it!”

“Lee!” Bill laughed. “It’s so good to see you! You two have really done well in such a short time. Do you run this place yourself?”

“My aunt is the co-owner with our cook. Got really lucky… how long have you been here?”

“Just got here today.”

John looked at his aunt. Idris waved a hand for them to sit down. “You’re due for a break, nephew. You two catch up, hm?”

Bill and John sat down at a free table.

“You must have had a crazy couple of months,” he hummed.

“And you! Tell me everything!” Bill enthused, forgetting about her search.

They talked about nothing for a little while and somehow they ended up talking about girls. 

“Do you remember that girl I liked back in…” Bill trailed off and Lee grinned at her. 

“Mhm…” He grinned at her and Bill just blushed. 

“She turned out to be the daughter of this really posh family, the Mondas’, and, well, turns out her parents don’t know about her bending and think she is unable to do much and…” Bill took a deep breath and fiddled with her teacup. “Turns out she liked to run away with me and my friend and well. We were on the run for the last few weeks.” 

Lee blinked at her. “From your girl’s parents?” He asked and Bill frowned. 

“My girl?… Oh, her name is Heather, and not really. I mean they are probably still pissed off, but no. That other friend, she’s a refuge and the firention is after her. They went after us and drove us out into the desert. We almost got killed three times that day. By sand storm, the firebenders and some sandbenders that tried to steal Heather and our animals away.” 

Bill took a sip of her tea and shook her head. “Honestly. I thought maybe I could ask her out for a date, but no…instead I’m here, because I was too afraid to ask and because we have to look for another friend and…”  Bill sighed again and muttered more to herself. “River is nice, but being friends with the Avatar is kind of hectic.” 

Lee choked on his tea and spilled half of it over the table.

“Are you alright?” Bill asked, concerned for her friend.

“The…” He started coughing again. 

And Bill nodded. “Yeah, I mean she’s really great and she can help Heather with her injuries and all that, but it’s really hard sometimes. Especially when the fire princess shoots lightning at you.”

Lee’s coughing intensified and Bill frowned at him. “Are you sure you’re alright?” 

It took him a moment, but once he could breathe again he nodded. “Remember when I said I’m a refuge from the,” He lowered his voice to a whisper. “Fire Nation?”  Bill nodded and John sighed. “I have seen the fire princess a few times and I know the gossip, so when she came after you and you’re here right now. It’s kind of impressive.” 

Bill just shrugged. “Honestly I thought she would be a bit taller. I mean Basil always talked about her like she was this really big bad person. She kinda looked murderous, but cute-- Ok that’s it, no more tea for you.”

Bill said resolutely and took the cup, which was practically empty from all the spilling, from Lee and put it next to hers. “Did somebody put pepper into your cup, or what?” 

He just looked at her. “How the hell are you still alive.” 

Bill shrugged. “I don’t know, but I’m not questioning it. Anyway, do you have any idea how I could get to ask Heather out?”

Lee opened his mouth. Then closed it. Then opened it again. And closed it again. 

Bill shook her head, chuckling. “Come on. You must know  _ something  _ about romance, right? Did you have a girlfriend? I swear you said you had a girlfriend.” 

“I had an arranged marriage. It’s not the same thing by a long shot.”

“Ugh, they still do arranging? That’s rough.”

John shrugged. “It was fine, I guess. And it worked out—but that’s not the point here. Don’t you have anyone else to ask about this?”

“Not really. We haven’t been doing a lot of socializing between all the running and hiding… I bet Anita might have good advice but we’d have to find her first. And River doesn’t strike me as someone who’s good and subtle and smooth romance.”

John tried not to blush. “Well… maybe start with flowers? That’s a clear message, right? Flowers and dinner.”

“Lee, that’s a whole date in itself. I’m not asking where to take her, I’m asking how to get her to say yes!”

“Have you practiced?”

Bill sheepishly looked down at the table. “...No.”

“Okay, pretend I’m her then. Ask me out.”

“What?! No way! There’s no way I’m doing that.”

“Fine, don’t ask me out… just smooth talk me. Compliment me or something. You’ll never know what to say to her if you haven't practiced.”

Bill cleared her throat, clearly out of her comfort zone. “Um okay. Uh… Hey there… Heather. You, uh, I just wanted to say that, um, you—”

Before Bill could continue her disastrous flirting attempt, a different voice took over the little tea shop. Bill didn’t recognize it, but John did and groaned. 

The cook was peering out the kitchen at his aunt with confidence and a flower. “Your eyes are like a tiger lily in bloom and your beauty is intoxicating! A dance tonight?”

John covered his face with his hands and sunk low in his seat. Bill could hear him muttering to himself, “Please say no, please say no, please say no,” over and over again.

“It would be my pleasure!” Mrs. Sidra agreed and placed a kiss on the man’s cheek. 

Apparently feeling brave, the cook turned his head to kiss her on the mouth and Bill swore she could see Lee’s soul leave his body and he tried not to bang his head on the table. 

The older couple disappeared into the kitchen and Bill could only laugh. “Maybe I need lessons from that guy!”

“For the love of gods, I don’t need any more of  _ that  _ in my life,” Lee groaned. 

“She looks happy though!” she muttered and Lee turned to her, his eyes empty of any emotion. 

“It’s not smart of her to make those kinds of connections here.”

This caught Bill's attention and she stared at Lee. “What do you mean?”

John shut his mouth hard, realizing what he had said. “Um… nothing. Nothing.”

Bill wasn’t one to back down. “Don’t give me that crap. You’re staying, aren’t you? The whole point of Ba Sing Se is staying. We’re  _ safe  _ here. You came here to be safe, didn’t you? To build a new life?”

John was silent for a long moment. Why did they come here exactly? What Bill said was true to some extent; as traitors to the fire nation, they were safest here but then what? He wasn’t planning on living out the rest of his life as a disguised earth kingdom refugee and despite how happy his aunt was here, he was sure she didn’t want this to last forever either. Even the cook had something back home in the fire nation, didn’t he?

So why were they there?

“Yeah,” Lee answered quietly. “A new life… might be nice to move up to the middle ring, though. The lower ring can be… a lot.”

Bill nodded knowingly. “You’d think a city with so many resources and stuff would be a little fairer with their distribution of wealth. And it’s like everybody knows it should be better. But no one says anything. There’s just this silence over everyone.”

The teashop fell quiet at the word.

Lee leaned in close to Bill with a whisper, “Are you sure this is your first day in the city?”

“I’ve done my reading,” she smiled. “And Basil never ran out of stories about this place. Good stories and bad stories. I’ve got a good memory for stories.”

John paused at the mention of Basil again. How was it that this girl somehow was intertwined in his life in so many ways? His sister, Basil, and most importantly the Avatar. At this point, he wouldn’t be surprised if she said she knew Rose and David. 

Maybe it was some sort of sign from the spirits, but he wasn’t sure whether it was a good sign or a warning. 

“And even with the bad stories, you wanted to come here?”

“Well,” Bill shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m just here to help River look for Anita. And to stay out of that princess’s claws. Actually, I’m supposed to be looking for her now… Just to get an idea of the city and all. Maybe some intel.”

“Well, I’ll keep an ear out for you,” John promised. It was the right thing to do, wasn’t it? Something in his mind nagged him that the whole point here to stay  _ out  _ of trouble and that getting involved here was counterproductive. He electively ignored the thought. “So long as you promise to ask that girl out.”

Bill flushed but tried to play it off with an eye roll. “Always a price isn’t there? Fine, it’s a deal.”

John’s eyes narrowed at Bill and for a split moment, he reminded her of someone she couldn’t quite place. Then he grinned and looked so much like his aunt Bill that wondered if Mrs. Sidra was his mother. 

And then he spoke and ruined the moment.

“Tonight!”

Bill spluttered and gaped at him, but he only grinned wider. 

“That’s not fair!” She protested weakly, but the look on his face was too victorious to argue with.

“You agreed before you heard all the terms of our agreement. So…”

Bill threw her napkin at his face. There was a beat of silence and then they both laughed so hard they were wheezing. 

They talked for a little while longer before Bill realized it was about time to meet back up with the others. She bid Lee goodbye with the promise to come back soon.


	20. Silence and Shadows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There was a long beat of silence before Bill coughed. “So, uh, are we going to talk about last night?”
> 
> River squared her jaw, her back stiffening. “Is that relevant to finding Anita?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the love, everyone! It makes us so happy when anyone comments even if it's just like three words.
> 
> And yes, I absolutely did the "and there was only one bed" trope you're welcome

**Chapter Twenty: Silence and Shadows**

Bill wasn’t exactly sure how she had managed it, but Heather had secured an enormous house in the middle ring complete with a fenced yard for the animals to stay in. This didn’t stop Cal from putting her enormous head through the windows to check on River every ten minutes. 

“I can’t believe we’re going to sleep in real beds again!” Bill squealed as Heather showed them around the place.

“About that…” she hesitated. “Flashing my family crest only got us so far. There are only two beds.”

Bill’s expression dropped and River shrugged. “Well, I’m claiming one of them. You and Bill can decide who gets the other one.” With that, River went into one of the bedrooms and sat on the bed pointedly. 

Bill swallowed, deciding not to argue. “Oh… um… well you can have the bed, Heather. It’s probably not good for you to sleep on the floor.”

Heather looked up at Bill’s poorly concealed pout. “You know, we could just share.”

Bill nearly choked. “What? Share??”

Heather laughed at the other woman’s shock. “It’s fine as long as you're not claustrophobic.”

“I’m not…” Bill coughed. 

_ Only if you ask your girl out.  _ Lee’s voice rang in her head and for a moment all she wanted to do is turn around, march back to the tea shop and put her hands around his neck.  _ Tonight! _ His voice said in her head and there was too much glee in there.

Bill deflated and took a deep breath. “No that would be fine and…” 

Out of the corner of her eye Bills saw Cals head poking through the window The eel hound looked at them and when she realised that RIver wasn’t there, her head disappeared. 

Bill took another deep breath and then she smiled at Heather. “How about tea tonight? I know a lovely place not far from here and I know that the cook is amazing.”  _ I certainly hope so, or I’m going to scream at Mrs. Sidra’s. No matter if she loves him. _

Heather blinked. Blinked again and for a moment Bill was sure the star in her left eye seemed to glow a bit. Bill gasped, because she always thought Heather's eyes were one of the most amazing features Heather had, but this was almost too much. 

And then, to Bill's surprise, Heather's cheeks turned a bit pink and a moment later she grinned so wide that Bill smiled back automatically.

“And here I was thinking I needed to ask you out myself.” 

Bill blinked once then twice and then she realized what Heather said. “Wait does that mean…?” 

Heather laughed and Bill was almost sure River just dropped something, because there was a muffled scream coming from her room. 

“Do you really think. I didn’t notice how much you blushed and that you never quite seemed to be able to talk to me?” 

Bill was pretty sure that she was red enough that it showed even on her skin.

“And your granddad told me that you were talking a lot about me.” Heather shrugged. “He then told me if I ever broke your heart nothing could save me.” 

“MY GRANDDAD?” Bill squeaked. 

Heather nodded. “You know, the tall guy with the mad hair?” 

This time it’s Bill that almost screamed. “Please tell me Basil didn’t!” She begged, but all Heather did was shrug and smile.

“He did…but anyway, I’d love to go out tonight.”

For a moment Bill was about to tell Heather that she could have the bed for herself and that there would be no date, because she was sure that she would combust any moment now. 

Instead, she heard River shout, “FINALLY!”

Bill turned even redder. Heather grinned. “And River wasn’t that subtle either,” she added. Bill covered her face with her hand’s.

“I wasn’t trying to be!” River called and Bill groaned. 

“I HATE you all!” she grumbled, but there was a smile on her face.

When they had come home from their date, River had already been asleep. Lee had been absolutely smug about Bill showing up, but his aunt had cuffed him over the head and told him to move. And then she had hugged Heather. For a moment Bill was sure that Heather was about to scream, but then she saw that Heather instead looked rather dazed. And Bill had realized that Heather probably never had such contact from her family. 

The thought had put Bill to a comfortable dream until she and Heather were woken by a scream

“Wha…” Heather was already out of the bed. She was stumbling, because her limbs weren’t quite ready, just yet, but within a few stumbling steps she was running and Bill was right behind her. 

They found River sitting in her bed. Her eyes red rimmed and wide. Her face was ashen. 

“River.” Heather said very carefully, but River didn’t seem to see them. Instead she was looking at her hands and then up at something that seemed to stand at the foot of her bed. 

“What are you saying?” She whispered and looked between her hands and the air again.

River wasn’t sure what she was doing, but she knew for sure that she was dreaming. One, because it felt like Melody would be here any moment now. And secondly, because she had just gone to bed.

Around her the streets of Ba Sing Se were bathed in sunlight and the people were grinning. 

“It looks peaceful right?” A husky voice asked and when River turned around the old man stood next to her. She didn’t say a word and for a moment stood there in silence. Then he turned to her and smiled. It was a kind and cheeky smile. Like a boy, that just outsmarted his parents. 

“This is Ba Sing Se.” He told her and swept his arm through the air. “This is the place all the people come to that want peace.” 

River scowled at him. “And?” She asked cautiously. 

The man turned to her. “You remember Mels.” He said and River flinched, because yes she did. Partly. She saw lightning and felt rage and she saw a woman with black curls.

“Only scraps,” she mumbled and the old man smiled.

“Good, now look again.” He said and pointed at the crowd around them. 

River wanted to protest, but she shut her mouth. In her village she kept out of the way of bullies and the harsh words of her classmates, by looking and watching. She was good at seeing connections and reactions. She was good at this, but ever since she had become the Avatar she hadn’t done much with this skill. Instead she had acted like a hot headed idiot and jumped into danger head first.

So River closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes, she took the scene before her apart. 

The first thing she did was to look at the vendors. Their little shops on the street were bright and attention catching. The people selling were screaming loudly, praising the quality of their goods. River smiled a bit and thought of the farmer she would haggle with when the eel hounds needed more food.

_ There _ . The thought popped into her mind when she saw the little stand in the shadow of the wall. 

It was smaller and there were barely any goods on the table. The person behind the table, River couldn’t see if they were a man or a woman, they weren’t shouting. Almost like they didn’t want to sell. 

_ Or didn’t want any attention _ . River thought and the old man hummed in approval. 

“Go on.” He hummed and River’s eyes jumped from the vendors to the people buying. Most smiled and had conversations with the vendors with the people next to them. There were some just walking though. Thieves and those just enjoying the crowd. And there were people that looked wrong. Lurking in the shadows. Blending in between the people, but nobody dared to look at them. 

_ Like the vendors.  _ River thought and the old man nodded. 

“Look at the guards.” He mumbled softly. And River’s eyes jumped at the guard on the wall high above them. They loomed like long shadows, right there. Everybody knew about them, but everyone had forgotten. 

And suddenly she could see them everywhere. In the shadows. In the open. Right there, but hidden. Forcefully forgotten by the people. 

“Lady Kovarian once had one of the most influential troups of the whole fire nation. They were feared. Just a whisper of them could silence every bit of joy and happiness, but at the same nobody knew who they were. Or where or how they operated.” The old man looked cross and shook his head. “When they thought someone was planning against their lord, they would come for them. Come and leave without a single noise. Without any trace. That’s where they got their name from.  _ The silence _ .”

Something inside of River screamed. Fear coursed through her limps and she couldn’t breath. There were whispers in her head and looks on her skin. She felt exposed and threatened an…

A warm hand landed on her shoulder and River jumped. The old man looked at her with pain in his eyes.

“When Kovarian died,” River noticed how he deliberately didn’t say:  _ When you killed her. _ She was thankful for it in a way. “Her people remained, but the Silence was too big without their leader. To well known. So they died. At least a part of them. They went to fight against Ba Sing Se and all of them died here.” 

There was a pause and River’s eyes darted from one silent, lurking figure to the next.

“That day the Vashta Nerada was born.” The old man's voice faded, and when River looked to her side where he had been he was gone. 

In his stead another man came for her. He was tall and his face a twisted mask of hate and anger. He looked hauntingly familiar and River made a step back. 

_ Octavian, _ A smooth female voice in her head said and it wasn’t Mels. It was deeper, more dangerous.

Someone bumped into River. It was like the crowd around her got thicker. Like they tried to keep her close. The man on the other hand, for him the crowd parted.

_ Ocatavian, _ The voice said again and River thought she saw the face of Kovarian out of the corner of her eye.

_ Show our dear little Mels what she gets for putting her nose into things it doesn’t belong in. _

And River screamed.

-x-

“The Avatar card didn’t work,” River told them over breakfast. “I couldn’t get within 50 feet of the palace doors without getting stopped. Any luck with you two?”

“Ran into an old friend,” Bill shrugged. “Got a little side tracked with that. But he promised to help.”

“Heather?” River asked. “Find anything?”

“Not really. People won’t talk and the moment I said ‘Vashta Nerada’ they walked away from me.”

River frowned. “If that was their reaction, then they certainly  _ know  _ what they are…” She sighed. “I wish there was an easier way to do this. I just want to find Anita.”

“I have an idea, but I don’t think you’ll like it,” Bill looked at the others. “If one of us gets captured on purpose, then we’ll be brought to where they’re keeping Anita, right?”

Heather starred in shock and River shook her head. “Absolutely not. No one is getting captured on purpose.”

“I knew you wouldn’t like it,” Bill sighed. “But think about it! It’s the quiet way to do it.”

“No.” River said firmly. “I don’t want to risk the ground we’ve made. If one of us gets taken then the rest of us are under investigation. And there’s no guarantee what they would do or if they would even bring you to the same place as Anita! And who would even go?” 

“I would,” Bill whispered. 

“No you wouldn’t!” It was Heather who protested this time. “I could go.”

Bill shook her head. “You’re on their list, Heather. They would return you right to your parents and then you’d never be free. And River can’t go because she’s the avatar. They’d just turn her right into the fire nation for their weight in gold. I’m the only one without a record. It would have to be me.”

Heather sputtered, trying to think of an argument. She looked to River for help.

“It’s smart…” River said, “But we’re not doing it. We’re not splitting up unless it’s our last resort. Okay?”

Bill and Heather nodded. “Okay.”

There was a long beat of silence before Bill coughed. “So, uh, are we going to talk about last night?”

River squared her jaw, her back stiffening. She looked to the corner of the room where the old man stood without a word. He was there when she woke up and didn’t seem to show any signs of leaving. “Is that relevant to finding Anita?”

“Well, no…” Bill started. “But you were pretty shaken up.”

“I warned you about my night terrors when you started traveling with me,” River said defensively. “If it’s going to be a problem for you…”

“No problem, River,” Heather said calmly. “Just friends checking in with another friend. 

River deflated, feeling a little guilty for snapping. “I’m fine, guys. I’m used to it.”

Bill and Heather nodded but didn’t feel any better about River’s mental health. 

“Maybe you should see a healer today?” Heather suggested softly. “There are some who specialize in this sort of thing. They do guided meditations and spiritual mindfulness—”

“I don’t need mindfulness. I need to find Anita.” River stood quickly. “Same as yesterday: we split up and get what information we can.” She didn’t wait for an answer before heading out the front door.

Bill and Heather were left alone, staring at each other. “Well…” Bill coughed, “someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Er, what do you say we search together?”

Heather nodded. “Do you really mean it? That you’d get captured by you-know-whom just to find Anita?”

“Sure I do. I’ve gotten out of worse scrapes before. Basil and I once got in trouble with some swamp folk and we had to get really creative to get out of that one.”

Heather laughed and BIll continued the story as they headed out to begging their search for the day.

While Bill and Heather wandered the lower ring, River took the middle ring. (It would be no use trying to go for the upper ring anyways, nothing but royals and snobs over there.) Images from her dream last night flashed behind her eyes. 

Was it even a dream or something else? A memory perhaps. 

The old man was still following her as she walked through the streets. Unlike last night, he was silent. Even his foot stops made no noise. Occasionally, River would walk through a crowded area just to see if she could lose him, but he drifted right through any human or inhuman obstacle she made for him.

It was pointless.

Eventually, River came upon a market area. It felt familiar somehow, but she wasn’t sure why. She found a spot to lean against a wall, watching and waiting. 

Sandshoes settled next to her.

“So,” River whispered, hoping no one would see her talking to thin air, “You only talk in dreams? Is that it?”

Sandshoes said nothing. 

River sighed. “Look, if you’re only going to be useful at night, then why are you following me? All you’re doing is distracting me.”

Sandshoes said nothing.

River frowned. “You’re lucky you don’t have a physical form,” she hissed through her teeth. “Otherwise I could slap you.”

Sandshoes said nothing.

River balled her hands into fists, trying to calm down. There was no point arguing with this spirit if that’s what he was. She had a job to do. Ignoring the old man, she glanced around the marketplace.

It wasn’t unlike her dream, she realized. The vendors sold to the people buying. Most smiled and had conversations with their customers and coworkers. There were some people just walking through to go wherever they were going. Thieves lurked closely and pocketed coin bags off distracted nobles.

But it was wrong. It was all wrong, wasn’t it. If she froze this moment in time and put it on paper then it would be too perfect. Too exact. Exactly what everyone was supposed to be doing. 

River glanced at the old man who was staring straight ahead. River followed his line of sight across the street where someone in dark robes was standing. The person didn’t fit into any of the too-perfect characachures of the place. They were doing what River was doing: watching and waiting. 

In fact, River was almost sure the person was watching  _ her _ . 

And then there was another on the same side of the street River was on, just a few feet away. Another on the corner. Another by the fruit stall. All of them had the strange dark robes on with armored hats and no one else seemed to pay them any mind.

For a moment River thought about running. About turning tail and leaving. If this was the Vashta Nerada. If this force was like the spirit had told her and belonged to the fire nation, then Ba Sing Se had been under the control of the Fire Lord for…

River froze, blinked, and glanced at the old man. Just out of the corner of her eye, she didn’t dare to really look at him. He looked back at her and then after a moment he stepped forwards so she could see him better.

_ Walk towards him, but stop at the little stand about ten meters away from him. Buy something then turn back. I’ll be waiting for you. _

And then he was gone. Leaving River alone with the fire nation watching her. Her skin prickled and burned like she could feel the eyes of them all.

_ “Think about it like fire bending, but less fluid. The same aggression, the same power but much more in the bones than in the breathing. _ ”

That was how Heather had explained earthbending to her. River had found that she really liked earthbending. It was grounding and solid, her mind trained for battle during her time in the colony just got it. So River took a deep breath and started walking. She felt into the earth like Heather had taught her. She didn’t close her eyes, because that would catch the attention of people, but she stopped looking. 

Heather had explained that sensing with your feet was like seeing with your eyes, but sharper and faster. A bit like you would see something before you heard it. 

When River had understood it for the first time, she had hated it, because it was impossible to stop. Impossible to ignore all those vibrations adding into a picture. It had caused her a horrible headache, but Heather also had shown her how to stop, how to turn it off, or at least how to ignore it.

When she walked toward the little shop the spirit had shown her, River listened to the ground beneath her feet and listened to the man in that uniform looking at her. He stood heavier than the other people. Like he was not on top of the cobblestone, but a bit inside it. It took River a moment to realize that he was indeed sunken into the ground a few inches. The man also was standing tenser than most people. 

His feet permanently shifted so he stood better. His fingers unclenched and clenched again and again like he was waiting for a fight and River wasn’t even sure if he really was an earthbender or not.

He was afraid, River realized. Afraid of her. She wondered why as she pretended to look at the options for purchase. Did he know she was the avatar? Probably. But the world wasn’t terribly afraid of her... except for the Fire Nation. 

River picked up a ring and pretended to examine it. Had the Fire Nation been watching her this whole time since they arrived in the city? They had sent both royal heirs after her, after all. But no, this man… These people had been here long before River had arrived, making their place here, influencing the Earth Kingdom capital for years. 

And yet, the avatar’s very presence made them nervous. She was a threat to their perfect little system of corruption. River almost smiled at the thought as she bought the ring and made her way carefully back to where she was before. 

The old man wasn’t smiling at all. 

“They’ve got Anita. I know it. They’re going to make it almost impossible to get her back,” River whispered.

_ Almost  _ echoed in her mind as she made her way carefully back in the direction of the house. 

She could feel them following her. It was surprisingly easy to tell them apart from other citizens. Their pace, their posture, and even their breathing were different. Measured and calculated. 

There were over a dozen of them around extending several blocks ahead and behind her. Who commanded them? Surely they didn’t all act of their own will. No, it was too big a group for that. Someone must have been in charge and River was going to find out who. 

-x-

There was a thud by the waste bins. John hated taking the rubbish out at night, but they’d been slammed at the shop today, so it was only now after the shop close that he had the chance. 

The thud turned into a shuffling noise and John sighed. Rat-pigeons in the bin again? It sounded a little bigger than that, maybe a cat of sorts. 

John resisted using his firebending to light the area, instead opting to hold his lantern higher. He gave the bin a little kick. “Out with you!” 

The shuffle came again and he realized it wasn’t from the bin but a little way down. 

He swallowed. “...Hello?” 

Someone down the alley coughed. As John moved the light closer he saw a man hunched over. He looked like he was in pain.

“Are you okay?” John asked, coming closer. He stopped before the stranger, staring with wide eyes. “Captain?”


	21. The Almost King

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “The King is probably already… you know… under control,” Bill pointed out. “He hasn’t done anything about this, which means he already knows. Or doesn't have the power to help.”
> 
> “Or he’s in charge of the whole thing,” River muttered. 

**Chapter Twenty One: The Almost King**

“Ok repeat that again!” John said and Jack grinned at him. 

“Can’t stop hearing me talk?” None of them acknowledged the words, because all of them knew that Jack didn’t mean it. 

An hour earlier, when John had found Jack in the trash, beaten up badly. He almost jumped into the piles of old food and other stuff, to stop Jack from calling out his name. Instead, he had helped the other man into the house and had alarmed his aunt and the cook. Both of them had helped him patch Jack up and then Jack had started to explain.

“There are tunnels beneath the city. Thousand of kilometers of tunnels. Linking every house and every street. And down there is a dungeon.” 

Just like the last time, Jack faltered there and John saw his aunt’s hand tighten on Jack's shoulder. “Ianto is in there,” he mumbled, his voice shaking and John saw the tears rolling down his cheeks. 

“Ianto and several other people. Most of them are immigrants I think, but there are a few people that are part of the city.”

John saw the cook ball his fists and turn away. The fact that the Vashta Nerada was part of the Silence had been a slap to the face. They had thought that the Silence was dormant. A force the fire nation held back for…special occasions, but the fact that they had been in the city for decades…

“Was one of them…” John stopped and tried his best to find words. “Black, a waterbender, curly hair, and loud spirit. A spitfire?” 

All of them looked at him with confusion until his aunt’s eyes widened. “NO” She almost shouted, but John ignored her.

Jack furrowed his brows. “I’m not sure, there were hundreds of people down there…” 

“Anita,” John said. “Her name is Anita and she’s brave, like really brave.” 

Jack shook his head slowly. “I’m not sure but…”

“Can you bring me down there?” He asked and Idris grabbed for him. 

“DON’T YOU DARE!” She growled and John looked at her for the first time. She was afraid. Really afraid. “John…” She whispered and he cupped her face lovingly. 

“I can’t return to the fire nation, but I can help Anita. I owe her a debt. I…if I can find her and bring her back to River, maybe we can help her and defeat my father. End this useless war.” 

Idris deflated a bit and John looked over her shoulder to the cook. “You’re responsible for her.” He said and the look the cook gave him, made John know that he made the right decision.

“You sure?” Jack asked. “I’d love your help, but this is some serious stuff. Dangerous. If we get caught there’s no telling what they might do. And if they find out who you are, they’ll kill you on the spot.”

John nodded solemnly. But he really didn’t think it would happen. He thought of what Bill had told him, about his sister. He had a feeling that Missy was close, if not in the city. And he knew his sister. She was cruel and mad, but she also was possessive. She wouldn’t allow anyone to hurt him. 

_ Just do what he says Johnny, because we both know you will be disappointed if anyone, but me kills you.  _ It may be morbid, but it was their inside joke. And it was his guarantee that he would leave Ba Sing Se alive or not at all.

“I know. But it’s my responsibility, Jack. This isn’t just about Anita. My own nation lied to me and to the world. If I have the chance to make that right, I’m going to take it.”

Jack patted him on the shoulder. “I’ve never seen anyone stick to their morals as hard as you, Princey. I respect that.” 

“You two need a plan,” Idris pointed out. “Sit, please. I’m putting the kettle on.”

-x-

It had taken River hours to figure out how to tell Bill and Heather about what she knew without letting on to all the spies positioned around their house. Eventually, she had to write it down, let them read it, and burn the paper. 

The question all of them had was what were they supposed to do now? Take down every spy they came across? No, that wasn’t realistic at all. Heather suggested requesting the Earth King’s help, but they all agreed that that was more trouble than it was worth. 

“The King is probably already… you know… under control,” Bill pointed out. “He hasn’t done anything about this, which means he already knows. Or doesn't have the power to help.”

“Or he’s in charge of the whole thing,” River muttered. 

The three of them were sitting around the table with tea and biscuits out. Cal had stuck her head through the window and rested on River’s shoulder. 

“Someone will have noticed,” Heather said after a moment. “There are thousands of people in this city. Millions probably. There have to be people who noticed it, right?”

“Everyone ignores it,” River sighed. “They just walk right by it like bad weather.”

“ _ Because _ ,” Heather pushed, “they’ve pruned the masses.”

“Pruned the masses?” Bill stared in confusion. 

“Yes! Anyone who isn’t in line. Anyone who didn’t follow the rules or made a fuss or anything like that doesn’t exist. But they do exist. They  _ must  _ exist which means they’ve been put somewhere, right?”

“What, like kicked out of the city?”

“No,” River shook her head, starting to understand Heather’s logic. “If they were allowed to leave the city, then they could tell the truth to the world and this problem wouldn’t exist in the first place. All the deviants would be put somewhere  _ in _ the city. Somewhere they could be watched, disciplined, and somewhere they would keep their mouth shut.” 

“Exactly!” Heather approved. “Like in school, if there’s a kid acting up, they don't just throw them out of the school grounds.”  
“They get detention,” Bill finished, realizing what they were saying. “We just need to find detention.” 

“I’d bet money it’s in the upper ring,” River said. “Fewer civilians. Limited access unless you’re high on the food chain. Guards  _ everywhere _ .” 

“If there are guards everywhere, then how are we supposed to get in?”

River looked at the others with a bit of a grin. “Remember the library?

-x-

The closest entrance to the tunnels was actually only a few houses over from the teashop, tucked inside a vase shop. 

“This isn’t totally creepy…” John mumbled and Jack laughed humorlessly. “Nope, but at least you didn’t come up in the puppet shop on the other side of the houses.” 

John blinked and stared. “The… oh…that’s why you were in the dumpster,” Jack grumbled something, but they felt silent rather quickly. Instead, they just walked through the tunnel in complete darkness.

Just when John was about to ask why they didn’t use any light, they rounded a corner. At the other side of the tunnel several meters away, there was a softly glowing green crystal. 

“Ok wow…” John muttered and walked a bit faster to look at the thing. It shined with soft green light and was barely bright enough that John could see the next corner, but it was light and it made it easier to see the tunnel.

“Mhm…” Jack muttered and John turned around to see the other man looking nervous and a bit pained. 

“Hey…are you alright?” John asked and Jack turned his head away. 

“Just don’t like those tunnels,” he muttered and John remembered something he hadn’t thought about before. 

“How exactly did you escape the Vashta Nerada?” John asked softly and watched as Jack twitched. “Jack!” 

“I…they were willing to let us go if…” John looked at the man…friends?…before him and watched him curl into himself.

“If you can pay you can leave…” Jack muttered and John realized with horror what that meant. 

“Ianto ?” 

Jack shot his head. “I gave them all my money and told them it’s for him, they took it but set me free. I was their running boy for the last months. Easy to control and easier to punish.” Jack looked miserable, but John tensed. 

“Why didn’t you tell us?” he asked and Jack laughed without any humor. 

“Would you have helped me if I did?” he asked and the question rang in John's ears. Would he? Would he have helped Jack if he knew that he had been working with the Vashta Nerada? John didn’t say a word and Jack nodded. 

“See? That’s why. I wouldn't have trusted me either, but here we are!” 

John couldn’t help but wonder, as they walked if this was a trap. It wasn’t that far-fetched of an idea to think that the Vashta Nerada knew who he was. The dishonored fire nation price—what a prize he could be. 

How did Jack find him in the first place? Had he been watching John prance around as ‘Lee’ for weeks? Did Jack get lucky and find him by accident? And if this was a trap, what would happen then? People on the surface would notice him gone. Bill would. His aunt would. Gods help the Earth Kingdom if they get on the bad side of the dragon of the west.

It felt like an hour of walking in the dimly lit underground before Jack finally stopped them. The tunnel diverged into two separate paths here. John looked at Jack worriedly.

“Prisoners held this way,” Jack whispered and pointed down one of the tunnels. Something in his tone had John feeling like they were being watched. “And other parts of the base that way. I’ll wait here.”

“You’re not coming with me?” John panicked. 

“Someone needs to stand guard in case this doesn’t work and it would be a hell of a story to explain why you were here. Best if you go in and I watch. I’ll give you a signal or something if we’ve got company.”

John hesitated. “...Fine.”

“Look…” Jack whispered. “For all it’s worth,” He hesitated then and looked around like he had heard something. John tensed for a moment, but Jack shook his head like it wasn’t real.“For all it’s worth. I’d rather die than keep working with them, and if keeping you safe means saving Ianto and that friends of your’s…I’m ready to do anything.” 

John nodded and took a deep breath. “I trust you, Jack.” He whispered and turned around. He didn’t look back; instead, he walked on trying his best to ignore the way the sounds traveled down the tunnel. 

At first, he thought it was Jack, but the longer he walked the clearer it was for him, that it wasn’t. 

There were screams and begging. People begging to be free and slowly the longer John walked the clearer the words got.

_ “I have family, my son… Archie, he’s…” _

_“My mother, she can’t survive-”_ _  
__“LET ME OUT!”_ _  
___“I DIDN’T DO IT. I promise I didn’t…”

_ “HELP!” _

John shuttered and closed his eyes for a moment, trying his best to ignore the voices and steady himself. This was horrible. One more puzzle piece in the bigger picture, proving that his nation wasn’t good. That their war wasn’t honorable. This wasn’t right, but this was the fire nation. 

This was his family’s fault and he hated them all for it. Especially his father.

“Please…” A soft voice said next to him and John realized that he had reached the first cell. He couldn’t see the person inside, but from the voice, it had to be a child.

“Help me…” They whispered and John moved closer to the bars. In the dim light, he saw the body of a girl. The clothing she was wearing was fine and expensive, but at the same time, it was ripped apart and dirty. 

“I’ll try, can you stand…” He stopped when he saw the chains shackled around her hands. Thick metal enclosures made it impossible to move the fingers. “You’re a bender…” John said and the girl nodded.

A plan formed in his mind and John focused his bending. He breathed slowly and after a moment the fire he created came to life with an angry his. The girl yelped, but John shushed her gently.

“I promise I’ll help you. I’m hunted just like you, but I’ll need your help. You can earth bend, that means you can remove the earth around the bars right?” 

She nodded and he smiled. “Good. I free you and then we free the other people.” 

She still looked hesitant, but by then John had burned through the first bar. He managed to squeeze through the hole he had created and thank all the gods he knew, that he was that skinny. 

He kneeled before the girl and held out his hands. He didn’t want her to be scared. So he started to explain everything he was doing.

“I’m John. I’m a fire bender and there are several of my friends in this dungeon. I want them free, but I’ll need your help.”

He looked down at her hands, but couldn’t really see them in the light, so he pointed at her hand’s and asked softly. “Can I touch them?” 

She hesitated for a moment but then nodded. So John picked them up and inspected the metal around her hands. There were a few screws and he nodded. 

“I’ll burn through the screws, that will open them, and then you’re free. Is that alright?” He asked and the girl looked at him with fear.

“I’ll do my best to not burn you, but I can’t promise anything.”

After a moment she nodded and John set to work. It took a lot of concentration and skill to burn away the screws, but he managed. It felt like a bigger lesson in firebending than anything he had done before. But it was worth it. Especially when the shackles fell away and the girl got to her feet.

John helped her through the bars and then pointed to the end of the tunnel where Jack was waiting. “A friend of mine is standing there. If you want, we'll help you out of here. I won’t demand your help if you don’t want to.”

She stood still for a moment but then turned to him with narrowed eyes and determination. “I’m Ace and I’ll help!” 

“Ace,” John said with a smile. “Thank you.”

Once Ace was free from her cell, it was much easier to get others free. With the other’s help, John was able to give the role of freeing prisoners to Ace while he searched for Anita and Ianto. He only stepped in when there was a bender shackled to the wall or ground. Most of them looked at him like he was a monster, but John took the looks and nodded at them. He explained where they could get out if they didn’t want to help. Most of them wanted help, but some of them wanted to leave. John understood both.

The hall of cells seemed to stretch on forever. How many people were down here cut off from the rest of the world? Hundreds? Thousands? The more people who were freed, the less time John had. He tried not to think too much into it, pressing forwards at a run. 

“Anita!? Ianto ?” He called out, hoping someone would answer. There was quite a bit of noise at this point as more and more prisoners were let out of their cells. People were cheering and crying—many of them were looking for other family and friends. 

Something caught his eye at the end of the row: A tall woman with a sharp jaw leaned against the outside of one of the cells. She didn’t look bothered by all the commotion around her, as if this was all routine.

John felt his blood turn cold. He slowed down, approaching her at a walk. The woman wore Earth Kingdom clothes, but John could recognize that face anywhere. 

“What the hell are you doing here, Missy?

The fire nation princess hardly acknowledged him, looking at the cell behind her. “This one is one of yours, isn’t she?” In the cell was a young, water tribe woman.

“Anita!” John cried and rushed forwards.

Missy pulled Anita's chains to force her against the bars of the cell, then held a flame dangerously close to her throat. 

“Don’t hurt her!” John screamed but stopped approaching. “She has nothing to do with this. Just let her go!”

“We’re overdue for a chat, brother,” Missy hummed. “And I need some assurance that you won’t run like the coward you are.”

He tensed, hands balling into fists at his side. “How did you find me?”

Missy let Anita’s chain go to reach for something in her pocket. She held up a letter. It was heavy, expensive paper with black seal wax on top of it. The seal pressed into the wax was strange and almost blurry— a tree and a figure looking as if they were one and below them a book.

“What….?” John stared and slowly pulled out an identical copy of the letter with the same seal.

“The Vashta Nerada,” Missy began in a patronizing tone, “Operate on the basis of payment. Doesn’t matter who pays as long as it’s done. But on occasion, they get a rare specimen such as this,” she gestured to Anita in the cell, “they wait to see who’s willing to bid the highest.”

John was speechless. His blood went from cold to red hot; how could anyone treat another human being like this? How many people had gotten a letter and who’s letter had John intercepted? 

Missy sighed. “Don’t think too hard about it, you’re going to strain something.”

After a long moment, John finally spoke, “How can you even think about indulging this, Missy? How can you do this?”

“How can I do this?” He seemed to have struck a chord as her tone turned sour. “How can _ I _ do this? How can  _ you _ do this!? You! The next in line for the throne—My gods, John. You had so much promise. So much potential. I could expect this from Auntie, but  _ you _ . You’re a dishonored traitor.”

“Came all this way to call me a traitor?” John huffed. “Really?”

“I came this way to offer you redemption, John. It’s not too late for you. You can still have everything you want.”

“What do you think I want Missy??” John snapped. “To come home? To be loved by our nation? By our father? Because if that’s what you think then you know nothing!”

Missy scoffed, but John, still half-blind with anger had only started.

“You’re scoffing now, but what do you know? Huh? What do you know about the other nations?”

Missy turned to him and he noticed the way she loosened her grip on the chains. 

“One doesn’t exist any longer. One is already ours and one will be no more in a few months.” She hissed and John took a step back. 

“That’s all you see?” He asked and spoke before his sister could. “No there is more. The water tribes are a beautiful culture. Missy. They move much like us, their bending is like ours. They have healers! Think about it, trading with the water tribe would provide us with a healer that could help the ill.”

She just scoffed.

“The earth kingdom is just as amazing. Missy, the flora they have gives us so many possibilities and…”

“Do you have a point? We can just take these things whenever we want.” Missy asked and John turned his head to look at Anita. She was shaking. A single tear rolling down her cheek, but at the same time, her eyes were hard and focused. A hot flame burned in them and John took a deep breath.

“They lied to us, Missy,” he whispered. “They said our nation offered them their service and the other nations started the war. That isn’t true. We started the war. Our ancestors killed the air nation. Our ancestors decimated the water benders. WE started the war and…”

There was an explosion down the hall. People screamed around them. Most started to run. A rock fell from the ceiling John jumped to the side and Missy did the same, but before she could find any real footing, Antia threw herself back. The force of it pulled Missy against the bars of Anita’s cell and She went down without moving.

“MISSY” John rushed forwards pulling her up into his arms looking for signs that she was alright. She was crazy, yes, but she was his sister.

“She’s alright, at least if she’s half as hard-headed as you!” Anita grumbled and held out her hands, caged in the same contraption as the earth benders. “Help me out of here!” She demanded and John set down his sister to start working at the bars.

Five minutes later Anita's shackles fell to the floor and she stood up moving her fingers with a grimace. 

“Damn it.” She grumbled. “That’s the worst feeling. What the hell are you doing?” 

John looked at her. “Do you really want Missy on our heels?” He asked and slung the chain around her feet and then hands carefully to wield them together around every limb. 

“Fair point,” Anita mumbled, and then another explosion shook the hall. “MOVE!” She ordered and grabbed him. John protested, just enough to wield the bars back into place then he started running back down the tunnel.

“River is in the city. We can find her if…” 

Anita shook her head and instead grabbed his hand. “No, I don’t think that’s a good idea right now!”

“B-but—” he stuttered. “What about, I mean, at least let me find Ianto !” 

“Who the hell is Ianto ?”

“Fire Nation merchant. I promised Jack I would find him and I don’t ever break my promises.” John’s eyes were wide, reminding Anita of Clara’s begging eyes. “I have to find him!”

“Um, is he a tall guy, with dark hair and a really awkward smile?”

“Yeah! That’s— how did you…?” John stopped, realizing that Anita was looking over his shoulder. He turned around to see the man right behind him, smiling sheepishly. Jack was there as well, holding his hand. John grinned from ear to ear and ran to hug them both. “You’re okay!”

“I got out in the wreck, but we need to move!” Ianto said quickly. “The Vastra Nerada are here! Some people are holding them off, but we need to go!”

“Wait. I should help them…” John started to walk towards the fight but Anita and Jack grabbed his arms.

“Not today, pretty boy. Run!” Anita pulled him forwards, Inato and Jack close behind. A few other prisoners who were earthbenders joined the scramble to safety, making tunnels for the others to escape through.

It was only after the prison break that Missy came too at the sound of someone opening her cell door. She sat up and squinted. 

In front of her, a man crouched down to her level. “You’ve disappointed me, princess.”

“Saxon?” Missy croaked. “How—”

“I’ve been following you since you left the mainland. Direct orders from your father.”

Missy swallowed but tried not to let her voice falter. “As if I believe that.”

“What do you believe?” General Saxon asked. It felt rhetorical. “Not those lies Prince John was giving you, I hope. He’s been corrupted by the people here to turn against his nation.”

“You think I don’t know that?” Missy hissed, getting to her feet.

“You let him go,” said Saxon. “Your father asked you if you would be willing to do what it took to complete this mission before you left. And here you are. A failure.”

“I am not!” Missy shouted. Her voice echoed through the now empty halls that once contained prisoners. 

“Is that so? You let the Avatar get the better of you in the desert. You haven’t made any leeway in finding her. All you found was your brother and you didn’t even take care of that. So tell me… do you really think you’re still going to win?”

Missy turned on her heel and stepped out of the cell. “There’s still time.”

She turned her head and looked over Saxon’s shoulder to one of the men behind him. The Silence stood in a line in the hall. They all stood tall and calm, but she could see the hate burning in their eyes. Missy knew their history. She knew that they hated Saxon, because he was the one taking over the Silence after Kovarians death. They hated him because he had been the one sending them to their death here in Ba Sing Se decades ago. But Missy admired them because no matter how much they hated him. they never acted on it.

She nodded to the man and then turned her gaze back to Saxon. “You’re wrong, by the way.” She smiled at the way he blinked. “I know exactly where the Avatar is.”

The men and women in the hall disappeared into the darkness of the tunnel just before Saxon turned.

“There just wasn’t a reason to act on it. Or the right time.”

She brushed past him and smiled. 

_ Time to change that. _


	22. Facing the Lion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Where is she?” River hissed, her hands balling into fists at her side.
> 
> “No idea who you’re talking about, poppet,” Missy chided. 
> 
> “Anita. Where is she?”
> 
> Missy made a face of realization that made River want to smack her. “Ooh, that water tribe peasant, you mean? If I recall correctly, my brother made a visit to her. Shame, you just missed him.” 

River, Heather, and Bill burst into a tunnel deep beneath the inner ring of Ba Sing Se. The crumbling rocks of their man-made path echoed down the hall. There was nothing here except the dull illuminating crystals that lined the walls.

“There are cells down there,” Heather pointed. One of her feet was out of her chair, touching the ground. “But I don’t feel anyone inside. They’re all empty.”

River's heart beat fast as the head towards the cells. As Heather has predicted, not a single person was down here. Every cell had its door wide open and broken chains inside. 

“Did we just miss a massive prison break?” Bill whispered. 

“Maybe,” Heather answered slowly. “But… that doesn’t make sense. People can’t just get out like that. Even if they had the power, the Vashta Nerada, the Silence, whatever they want to be called wouldn’t just _let_ that happen! They’re too powerful. Too good at what they do. They wouldn’t just let this happen.”

“Unless it was part of a bigger plan,” River added quietly. “They wanted it to happen.”

Bill and Heather look up at River who had her back to them. She was staring intensely at one of the cells. Before they could ask, River stepped forwards into the cell and picked something up off the ground.

“What is it?” Bill asked.

River turned slowly to them, showing what was in the palm of her hand. A headpiece meant for holding up hair, only this one was unmistakably a royal artifact of the Fire Nation, belonging to the crowned prince.

“Oh goody, I’ve been looking for that.”

The three of them whipped around at the voice to see the familiar face of the Fire Nation princess. She stood with a self-satisfied expression. Behind her were a few anonymous figures in robes—the same they’d been seeing throughout the whole city. Everywhere but unnoticed. Silent like a shadow. 

They had been waiting. 

“Where is she?” River hissed, her hands balling into fists at her side.

“No idea who you’re talking about, poppet,” Missy chided. 

“ _Anita_. Where is she?”

Missy made a face of realization that made River want to smack her. “Ooh, that water tribe peasant, you mean? If I recall correctly, my brother made a visit to her. Shame, you just missed him.” 

River froze, her stomach twisting. Her brother? John, the dishonored prince of the Fire Nation. Here in Ba Sing Se? That bastard had been following her, hadn’t he? All the way from the North Pole just to win a stupid pissing contest. 

She looked at the metal headpiece in her hands and realized it was glowing red hot. River dropped it quickly and kicked it over to the princess.

 _Turn around and leave._

It was the old man that no one else could see. He was standing next to Missy as still as a statue. _Just leave._

River stood her ground hands at the ready for a fight. “Where are they? Where did he take her?”

Heather had stood from her chair at this point, at the ready. Bill was in a defensive stance as well, having drawn out her warrior fans. 

“You can’t expect me to keep track of everything Johnny does in his own time,” Missy shrugged. 

“I expect you to tell me the truth or pay the consequences.”

Missy threw her head back and laughed. “Did you just threaten me? Is that what that was supposed to be?” 

River squared her jaw. Small flames licked at her fingers in warning when she felt a hand on her shoulder. It was Heather.

“We’re not alone,” she whispered. 

“Of course we’re not alone, we—”

“No.” Heather’s grip tightened. “Listen. Feel it.”

River kept her eyes locked on the princess as she felt down into the earth. Usually, she tried to be barefooted for this, but she would have to make do. 

She could feel the lot of them facing each other in the tunnel. She could feel Heather’s heart beating on double time and Missy’s heart annoyingly calm.   
Above them, River could feel the caverns open up. This wasn’t a tunnel so much as a narrow cavern. There were more cells up there and something else inside. Many something elses with heartbeats.

“The prisoners?” River whispered. 

“And others,” Heather said in the same tone. 

River felt her blood run cold as she realized what Heather meant. The prisoners were still here, yes, and they were still being guarded by the Silence. Not just the handful that stood behind Missy, but dozens and dozens of them standing in the sidelines, waiting.

“Oh, you did learn a thing or two since we last saw each other?” Missy’s tone made River jump a bit. When she focused back on the other woman, the princess was grinning. How did Missy know about seismic sense? “Well if you like I could introduce you to my friends.” 

River had a bad feeling about this. A REALLY bad feeling. 

“What do we do?” River whispered. She was torn. Torn apart between trying to get information about Anita and getting her friends to safety. 

_Leave now, follow the other prisoners, and…_

For a moment River wanted to do just that, turn tail and run, but at the same time, all she could think about was the fact that if she ran, she would endanger the prisoners still trapped here. She could endanger Anita.

_No, I can’t do that not…_

“Common Avatar, my dear brother just ran away with your friend. He once more tore someone you loved from you and…” 

River balled her fingers, flames shooting high, licking on her elbows, and then she cast a wall of flames around them.

Bill and Heath jumped, but River only had eyes for the illuminated cavern around them. There were at least three stories of cells. Each level was reaching deeper into the cave making it an almost perfect dome. 

On each level, as she had felt a moment ago, were lines of those people in robes. The light of her flames made them all look like monsters, their shadows high and in doubles.

“Look at that, are your girlfriend’s no longer enough for you?” River taunted. She had her eyes in Missy, but she noticed how Bill and Heather had their backs to hers.

“The twins and Stewart? Oh, they are watching over the earth king.” Missy said with a grin. “He’s not the brightest candle, but he’s rather nice and _influenceable_.”

River tried her best to ignore Heather's tensing. “Get the prisoners out,” she whispered. Missy will concentrate on me, the Silence will do the same. You should be fine.”

The cave was wet. Like not dripping wet, but wet. The air was humid and cold enough that she could see her own breathing and suddenly River had an idea.

She made a grand motion, something that looked like firebending, but something much more simple. A little waterbender trick Donna had taught her. 

There were a bit of flames, but it looked rather weak and River heard Missy laughing when the flames died several meters away from her. 

“Look at that,” The princes said. Her voice was sickly sweet. “The Avatar can’t even properly bend fire. I thought you were supposed to be from the colonies, no?” 

River only grinned and snapped her finger. The air froze. Hundreds and thousands of little snowflakes hanging in the air. For a moment River grinned at the princess, then she made another quick motion just like Donna had taught her and every bit of water in the air rushed towards Missy and her entourage until they were each frozen in a milky prison of ice. 

“GO!” River shouted, reaching as deep into the earth as possible and freezing the earth deeper and deeper. She hoped that it would be enough to slow the silence and their bending.

The ice cage in front of her started to glow and River gritted her teeth. It was time to see how much she actually had learned.

-x-

John was running, Anita’s hand tightly in his. Jack and Ianto right behind them.

All around them, there were prisoners, and every now and then some earth bender opened the earth about them to get out of the tunnels. 

“One more left.” Jack gasped. "And then up. We’re at the vase shop. Damn, I hope you’re aunt is ready.” Jack muttered and John silently hoped so too. 

They rounded the corner and there was the entrance to the tunnel. Jack helped John up and he pushed open the trap door with care. Peacking into the still dark shop.

“Alright,” John whispered, opened the door, and climbed out of the tunnel. He grabbed Anita’s arms and pulled her up and then he helped Ianto up before he finally grabbed for Jack.

“Alright. Let’s get out of here.” He whispered and grabbed Anita’s hand.

The tea shop was dark, but John knew better than to think, his aunt and the cook weren’t waiting. There were bending techniques that made it impossible to see any flames from the outside. And he was right. His aunt and the cook stood in the middle of the kitchen waiting.

Idris immediately grabbed for him and pulled him into a hug. 

“I thought you died.” She whispered.

“We are not out of trouble, yet,” John said and grabbed the bags his aunt had prepared. “Missy is inside the city and she knows we are here.”

His aunt stiffened for a moment and so did the cook, but in the end, both of them nodded and grabbed stuff they needed.

“I got a wagon from a neighbor,” Iroh said. “If we play it right, we get out of the city without problems.”

Anita shook her head. “No way, the Silence guards the whole city. There are hundreds of them.” 

“Oh don’t worry,” Jack said with a grin. “They never saw me, if we tie you all up that we can make it look like I’m bringing prisoners to an exchange.” 

The grin on his face faded when they all looked at him. John with realization. Ianto with pain and pity and Iroh, Idris, and Anita with confusion.

“We’ll do that. If we put bags over our head, will that convince them or…” John asked as he eyed several big teabags.

Idris gasped. “Don’t you dare, John I…” 

“Perfect,” Jack said and John grabbed five bags. His aunt shrieked a bit, but she calmed down, when he put the tea into several jars and put them into his bag.

It took them several minutes until all of them were in the darkened wagon. And even more, until John and Jack had tied them all up. John the last one with Jack smiling sadly at him.

“I owe you.” He whispered just before he pulled the bag over John’s head.

After that, it was just waiting and hoping. Where would they go from here? If Ba sing Se was corrupted, there wouldn’t be a safe place in the whole earth kingdom for them to hide, if hiding was the plan. But John was sick of hiding now. He couldn’t just hide away and let his own nation do this to the world. Hiding wasn’t going to fix any of these problems, but how could he fix them alone? He was going to have to find someone else. Someone with influence and power and good intentions…

John gasped to himself as he realized. He would have to find the Avatar again. 

-x-

Looking back River realized that maybe taking on the crowned princess and the fucking Silence all at once maybe was a stupid idea…maybe…

The thing was, she could only outrun so many of the stones they threw at her and she couldn’t just pull up an earth tent, because all of them were earth benders and could easily pull it down again. She had to move constantly. 

At the same time as dodging the Earth benders, Missy threw fire and lighting at her at every opportunity. The fire really didn’t bother her, but the lighting? Dammit, that was something else. River wondered who the hell thought it a good idea to start playing with lightning because even River had fucking respect for that kind of fire. 

Then again it was just like the royal family of the fire nation to get up one day and start playing with lightning. 

“Mad enough they are.” She whispered and twisted out of the way of another lightning bolt, blocking a bolder with a quickly summoned pillar of stone. 

“Stop running Avatar!” Missy called. Out of the corner of her eye, River saw one of the Silence go down without a sound. Bill and Heather were effective. She had to give them that.

River felt her hair stand on end and she yelped as she dropped to the ground. Lighting shot over her head and she could feel the heat coming off it too close for comfort. 

“Little Avatar is frightened,” Missy sang and River really wanted to punch her.

She stood up grabbing onto the water in the air once more and heated it until it was steaming around her hands. 

She made several strikes with water whips and rolled out of the way to avoid more lightning. The Silence were making this difficult, but she could tell they weren’t attacking her with full power. It was almost like they were watching, waiting for Missy’s command. They knew it was her fight.

When River came up, she turned to face Missy, but just before she fully turned around the old man appeared before her.

River had too much power in her motion to stop it, but the old man didn’t even blink. He reached for her, his finger touching her sternum, just about her heart and the world around her fell away.

“Seriously? Right now?”

River blinked and she was surrounded by hundreds of thousands of stars and galaxies, just like she saw every night, twinkling around her and calling for her, like old friends. 

River stood on a brightly shining bridge made of light. It was pale blue and down the bridge was a much much bigger version of River, even bigger than Cal. It shown in the same pale blue as the bridge.

“Ok, not creepy at all.” River muttered and made a step closer to it, but before she could touch the bridge again something shifted. It was like she was looking through a shattered mirror. 

For a moment there was she and her bigger version still in the distance and in the next moment everything changes.

River suddenly stood in front of the bigger version of herself, but it wasn’t herself any longer.

Its color had changed to a soft reddish-orange color and the person in front of her was the old man.

“So you _are_ an Avatar.” River whispered. Her body moved. She suddenly realized. It was moving without her wanting it to. Her hand reached out and River just knew that this was a bad idea. She shouldn’t touch this version of _Bigger Me_. She shouldn’t even be here. She…

Her fingers brushed against the red form and River screamed. The sound echoed through the cave leaving a deafening silence after.

The ground hitting her back brought River out of the trance. Her chest felt tight and she only realized the ache of oxygen deprivation when someone above her shouted, “Breathe!”

It was Bill, who was beside her, holding her face. River tried to follow the instruction but regretted it as soon as she inhaled. It felt like she was breathing broken glass the way her lungs burned with the movement. She realized the pain didn’t stop there, radiating outward like a ripple in a pond. Her skin was crawling with it and every cell felt like it was being shredded. 

Then it all started to go dull. The pain faded, as well as the feeling in her arms and legs. She couldn’t feel her surroundings anymore or hear the shattering stone that Heather rained down on the Silence. Even her vision slipped away from her and she could see nothing but blackness. 

She thought that maybe she heard two voices call for her. Not Bill or Heather, but more familiar voices. Voices that had been there since her childhood. One of them belonged to Melody. The other she couldn’t remember.

-X-

Missy couldn’t remember Avatar's expression when she finally boarded her ship back to the fire nation. She couldn't tell her generals and commanders the glory that came with killing the Avatar in a final strike of lightning. She would only say that honor was restored to the nation today. In her mind, she would relive the words John told her deep underneath Ba Sing Se. She would remember the smell of charred flesh and remember the clapping from behind her as Saxon emerged from the shadows to tell her she’d done well. She would remember wondering how long he’d been watching and wondering exactly why he was there.

Missy remembered the burning rage that lit up inside her chest when she saw that man. During their childhood, John had always said he didn’t like Saxon. He had said that something about the man was off. That he was creepy. Missy had never paid much mind to her brother because John feared everything. 

Her perception had changed when their mother had disappeared. It had changed when her father had given her to Saxon. Her father had told her that Saxon would nurse her talent until nothing could stop her.

She had thought that when Saxon had returned her to her father. As one of the best. As the best, his influence on her would stop, but here she was. After killing the Avatar. After watching the two friends of the Avatar kill themself as they destroyed the cave.

Saxon hadn’t even blinked when so much of the Silence had died at that moment. Killed by the same earth they commanded. Instead, he had smiled and nodded. 

Missy had felt like punishing him. Those were her people. Her team. She had worked with them for months to take Ba Sing Se. She had shared meals with them, listening to their stories and Saxon had simply turned around. Commanding Missy to follow him like she was a mere soldier. 

She had left a flame for the Silence. They were hers and hers alone, she left a flame, because it burned so pretty, just like the lives of her soldiers. 

Right now she was standing on her ship, next to Saxon and he was commanding her crew as he owned them. She noticed the looks her crew gave her. Wanting affirmation. They wouldn’t obey Saxon if she didn’t allow them. Missy smiled and balled her hands. Her crew scattered and did as told. 

Missy only smiled. Saxon really thought she was still the little girl he had trained. Well, he would have a rude awakening.


	23. A Good Man goes to War

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “What? Don’t give me that. I’m just being realistic,” she sighed. “No normal person could survive that. The only reason she isn’t dead is that she’s the avatar and look at her! She’s been unconscious for days. She can’t move, she can’t eat or drink—healers have been pouring soup down her throat and hoping she gets any nourishment out of it and changing her every few hours like a baby! Does anyone recover from this?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)

**Chapter Twenty Three:** A Good Man goes to War

Bill wasn’t sure how they escaped. Or why the princess had let them run with River. Bill wasn’t even sure how she had gotten from the third level of cells to River so fast. It all was a bit of a blur. 

She was almost sure that she had seen a glimmer in the air for a moment, before River had frozen. She couldn’t be sure, because she had helped a young boy out of his cell, but she had seen something. Something that looked like a man, but wasn’t. She couldn’t really tell, because in the next moment River’s eyes had started to glow. And then there was lightning. 

The next thing Bill remembered, was kneeling next to River holding her face, while River was trying to breathe. There had been utter silence in the cave, when River had stopped breathing. No boulders were thrown, no fire, no lightning, just silence and Bill begging her friend to breathe.

River had been so quiet, that for a moment Bill had believed Missy when the princess had said she was dead. For a short heartbreaking moment Bill had believed that her friend was gone. 

And then Bill had seen the glimmer of light beneath River’s eye lits.

Heather had landed next to her in that exact same moment and all Bill could do was look up and meet Heather's eyes. Somehow she had understood.

The next moments were hazy again, but Bill remembered grabbing River and running while the cave gave in about them. Bill remembered running with Heather and the prisoners they had freed and Bill remembered returning to the house they had lived in.

They had packed everything they could get, had put it on Basil and then they had tied River to Cal. Heather had opened tunnels again and somehow they had gotten the animals into the tunnel and then Heather had made another tunnel beneath the tunnels. 

“Heather?” Bill whispered. The darkness around them made Cal nervous Bill could feel it. 

“I know,” Heather whispered in a serious tone Bill had never heard before. Bill wondered how Heather knew what she was going to say before she said it, but that wasn't important right now. What was important was the fact that the two of them were the only things between the Avatar and death right now.

“Where do we go? We need a healer!”

Heather bit her lip. She was steering Cal full speed towards the walls, wanting to get out of this cursed city as soon as possible. Even Basil was having a little trouble keeping up with the eelhound. 

“Okay, okay. Think. Where are we going to get a healer? There’s got to be one in the city, right??”

“I don’t trust this place as far as I can bend.”

“It’s not about trust, it’s about River!” Bill half-shouted. She didn’t mean to yell but she was scared—more scared than she had been in a long time. 

They had surfaced out of the tunnels in the middle ring, though no one was out at this time of night. “You were covering the middle ring before. Did you see a healer or something?”

Heather nodded stiffly, still against the idea of staying in the city longer than necessary. “This way.” She took a sharp turn and Bill hung on tightly. 

They stayed below the earth a little bit longer, but then Heather opened the earth about them. She got off of Cal’s back and turned to Bill. 

“Stay in here until I get you. Ok?” Bill just nodded and scooted a bit closer to River’s body. 

Heather disappeared for probably a short moment, but for Bill with River’s lifeless body next to it felt like weeks.

“Bill, it’s alright you can come up.” Heather’s voice called and the earth turned into a ramp leading up to the surface. Heather stopped her the moment she could reach for River and Bill helped her untie their friend. Cal made a deep growling noise that made the old man standing next to Heather jump.

“Please…” He whispered. “Don’t be scared, my daughter was taken by the Silence years ago… I …” He looked at River and nodded. “I’ll do what I can.” He carefully took River from them and gently carried her to the house.

They got Cal out of the earth and then Heather closed the tunnel, before they followed the man into the house.

-x-

John felt like he was about to burst. He wanted to scream and burn the restraints on his wrist, but he didn’t dare, because they were almost out of the city. So far they had passed to guards that had winked them away. One of them even got Jack some kind of pass to guarantee that they would leave the city. Still it was like someone had put him back into the agni kai with his father.

“John, please.” His aunt whispered and shuffled closer to him. Her shoulders gently brushing against his. “Keep calm, dear, just a few moments longer.”

“Hey,” A voice called and the wagon stopped.

John felt his heart drop to his stomach. Something in the tone of the stranger made his hair stand up on end. 

“We didn’t get word of any outgoing prisoners,” continued the stranger. “Who authorized this?”

John could practically hear Jack swallow as he tried to think quickly. “Um… Octavian did.” 

John heard curious whispers around him. How many people were surrounding him? And why did the name Octavian sound familiar? He could feel his aunt tense next to him and he could tell she knew the name too. 

“Octavian is in the city?” Asked the strange voice.

“Yes!” Jack said as convincingly as he could. “You do know what’s happening right now, don’t you?”

There were others murmuring and John held his breath. He had a feeling Jack wasn’t lying anymore.

“Tonight is the night,” Jack continued. “Do you think he would miss this? The history that will be made tonight, is being made _ right now _ , for the greatest nation in the world. Of course, he’s here. And if you don’t let me carry out his orders, then I’ll go right back to him and tell him who stopped me.”

John heard footsteps and felt the wagon start moving again. 

There was silence for a long time as they moved further away from their potential threats. 

John gasped when the bag was finally taken off his head, grateful for the fresh, albeit cold, air. “Um… thanks,” he said to Jack.

Jack nodded as he got the others free of their bonds. 

Idris stood up as soon as she could and stormed right over to Jack with an accusing finger. “How the hell do you know that name??”

John and Jack stared, equally perplexed as the other. Jack coughed. “I heard it around. I don’t actually know who he is, he just sounded important.”

“You…Are you…” His aunt made a bunch of noises that sounded half angry, half surprised, and a bit like she wanted to murder Jack right there.

“Octavian was the left hand of Kovarian, you idiot.” She finally spat out and John froze and he saw Iroh do the same. 

Kovarian, finally he remembered why the name sounded so familiar. Octavian had been one of the officers that had accompanied his aunt to the first attack on Ba Sing Se. He had died trying to save another soldier. At least that had been what his aunt always said.

“Fuck…” John breathed and sat back down. Aside from the cook and his aunt the rest of their group looked between them in confusion.

“Ok,” Anita said slowly. “Who are Kovarian and this Octavian person?” 

“Iroh, dear,” His aunt said tiredly. “Can you keep the wagon moving while I explain?” She asked softly and Iroh smiled at her and kissed her cheek.

John reached out when his aunt sat down slowly. He didn’t like how pale she looked. The wagon started moving again and the rest of the group sat down in a bit of haste. Ianto and Jack closely together, while Anita sat a bit to the side.

“Kovarian was my brother's right hand, twenty years ago. She died in a freak accident nobody could explain. My brother only told me that she saved his life.” John grabbed his aunt's hands and squeezed them.

“She was a horrible person. Cruel and so focused on her missions, that she wouldn’t care a bit for the lives she ended. Both of her alleys and foes.” John saw Anita turn her head to the side and he thought of Saxon.

“Saxon, the man who attacked your tribe in summer, Anita.” His aunt said and the girl's head shot up. “He was her right-hand man, you can see it in the way he won’t stop at anything.” Anita turned her head to the side, but John saw the tears and the way she grabbed the pendant of a white koi fish. It looked a lot like the one River always wore.

“Octavian was her left-hand man. The one with the brains where Saxon was the brute strength.” Nobody moved for a long moment.

“When Kovarian died, Saxon took her place in my brother’s council and Octavian was moved under my command. He’s a good man, he cared for his people, wouldn’t listen to me if I said it was impossible to save them all. Saved most of them during our missions.” She sighed again and shook her head.

“And then we attacked Ba Sing Se.” Aside from Anita who looked confused, all of them jumped a bit. 

“He saved my life twice that day, but he died when he tried to save another soldier's life. Well… at least that’s what I thought until today.” 

“They speak of him like he’s alive…” Jack murmured. “They speak of him like he’s something to be feared, not his nice heroic guy you knew. Maybe part of him did die when you first attacked Ba Sing Se, but I think he’s alive. And clearly very different.”

Idris swallowed hard at the implication. Octavian had been a good man, but when a good man went to war… well, even the spirits would run when a good man went to war. 

-x-

Three days. They spent another three days in that city of lies after escaping the crystal caves. Poor Cal and Basil had to be kept underground beneath the healer’s hut so no one would see them. (That, and Cal’s non-stop crying would have drawn too much attention.) 

The healers showed such kindness to them that Heather almost regretted being so hostile towards the whole situation. They worked on River’s injuries nonstop for those days. There were always at least two healers in the room with the Avatar, sometimes as many as six. 

One of the healers even offered to tend to Heather on the second day, as her joints were in quite a bit of pain after that fight. Heather only agreed after some convincing from Bill.

“Her eyes haven’t stopped… glowing.” Bill held onto Heather’s hand as a healer worked on her. Bill starred in the direction of the room River was in worriedly. “What is that? It started right after… right when she got hurt.”

“Probably an avatar thing,” Heather murmured tiredly. “It’s always an avatar thing.”

“There is a name for it, you know.”

Both Heather and Bill looked up at the healer’s words. She was a short, older woman with silver hair down to her waist. She had introduced herself as Ohila when they’d met, head of the healer's house. 

“It is known as the Avatar state,” Ohila continued. “A special ability used by avatars to connect with their past lives. She may speak with them, and even use their combined power in present combat.”

“It didn’t look like combined power when she was struck,” Heather frowned. “She just sort of froze.”

“Maybe she was trying to make the combined power thing work? Maybe it takes a second to charge up or something.” Bill looked to Ohila for confirmation, but the healer shrugged.

“I am unfamiliar with the precise mechanics of this power. For that, you may have to ask the Avatar herself.”

“If she ever wakes up,” Heather muttered.

“Heather!” Bill looked shocked.

“What? Don’t give me that. I’m just being realistic,” she sighed. “No normal person could survive that. The only reason she isn’t dead is that she’s the avatar and look at her! She’s been unconscious for days. She can’t move, she can’t eat or drink—healers have been pouring soup down her throat and hoping she gets any nourishment out of it and changing her every few hours like a baby! Does anyone recover from this?”

Bill bit her lip. If anyone else was talking, Bill might slap them and tell them to have some hope, but it was Heather. She  _ knew  _ Heather and she knew that despite the outburst, she was just scared. 

“Even if she wakes up,” Heather continued, a little quieter now. “Chances are she won’t be the same. She might have lost feeling in her legs, or-or messed up her brain or something else she’ll have to live with for the rest of her life.”

“Lots of people live with lifelong problems,” Bill said quietly. “I think she’d just have to learn to deal with it.”

“It’s not easy,” Heather squared her jaw. “I, of all people, know that. And I’ve had my whole life to learn how to work around my disabilities. River won’t have that luxury if she has the luxury of any more life to live.”

“You stop that now.” Bill shook her head. “She’s going to wake up. And we’re going to figure out what to do together. As a team.”

Neither Heather nor Ohlia looked like they believed in Bill's words, but Bill had seen how much Basil had changed over their time together, just because Bill had refused to let him alone. She wouldn’t give River up. Not after everything. Not after already leaving Basil behind. River was as much family as Basil had been and Bill really couldn’t lose her too.

“Please River,” Bill whispered, taking one of her friend's cold hands. “Please, don’t stop fighting.”

River wasn’t sure where she was. She barely even remembered her name, but she knew she needed to go somewhere. The question was  _ where _ .

_ Don’t stop fighting _

Someone whispered and River was sure she knew that voice. Before she could think about it something else caught her mind. 

Fighting?

Why was she fighting? What for? She only fought the people of her village and mostly only the children. Sometimes, when the money on the farm got low, she would travel with Cal to the next bigger city and enter herself in a fight ring. The money she got was enough to help her parents raising the eelhounds and she got to train her fire bending.

_ Found at the river of song, beneath the singing towers _

That voice was familiar too and…

Was that a blue koi fish?

Right in front of River was a giant blue koi fish with a single white dot on top of its head. Its eyes were too intelligent and something inside of River calmed down a bit.

“I know you.” She mumbled and reached out to brush against the soft blue scales of the fish. It felt like soft velvet and cool like silk and River snorted at the comparison. 

“Next thing I know there is a spirit visiting me and telling me about destiny.”

The koi made a motion like it was laughing and River really wanted to glare at it, but she just couldn’t. It felt a bit like glaring at it would be like shouting at the ocean. Or the moon?

“So…where are we… Oh you have to be kidding me!” River mumbled and stopped walking, the fish didn’t stop. Instead, it started to draw lazy circles around River.

Across from her was a woman. Her skin was a bit darker than Bills.

_ Who is Bill? _

But something about her seemed almost otherworldly. 

“Please don’t be a spirit.” River mumbled and watched with horror how the dark eyes of the woman dragged over her.

There was something unsettling about her. Something cold and mad and at the same time River thought she was lonely and afraid.

“Just as much as you, but I’m afraid of something different.”

It took River a moment to realize that it was the woman talking, not another voice. River had heard too many of them since she woke here.

“I don’t know what you mean!” River said stubbornly and the woman laughed.

Did she come closer? River noticed who the koi no longer circled her, but both of them.

“C'mon River, look at me. Remember, you are just as much of a fighter spirit as I am. Maybe a bit more. I gave up when it looked like I couldn’t do anything, you? You are even more stubborn than I and maybe you are just as mad as I.”

River felt her hackled rising and the other woman smirked. 

“That’s what I’m talking about! C'mon River, fight me.”

River didn’t she didn’t move, but at the same time, she thought that they got closer together.

There was another figure out of the corner of her eye. Just as tall as her, but with bright red hair.

“I’m still here!” 

River jerked back. In the brief moment, she had been distracted the other woman had come closer. River stumbled back, but the koi was behind her and stopped her.

“You can’t run, River. You can’t even remember who you are, where would you go? Especially with a ghost on your heels?”

“Shut up! All of you shut up!” River squeezed her eyes shut but none of the people around her went away. It was like she didn’t have eyelids. 

They seemed even closer now like she could reach out and touch them, but she had a feeling that doing so would hurt. She wanted to curl up and hide somewhere, but she couldn’t move. 

Suddenly a hand touched her shoulder and River flinched hard. There was nowhere to run and she had no power here. 

The hand on her shoulder didn’t hurt as River had expected it to. It didn’t burn like the voices of the koi and the strange woman. 

She turned slowly to meet the owner of the hand and came face to face with a pale, red-headed woman. She looked familiar with a smile soft like moonlight and an ivory koi necklace shining like a sanctuary in this strange place.

River tried to speak but no voice came out. The woman only smiled at her and instead said, “It wasn’t your fault, River.”

_ It was _ . River’s voice came from everywhere except her own throat.  _ I brought the fire nation to you. I didn’t protect you _ . 

The late water tribe princess sat next to River, placing her arm around the scared woman. “I followed a destiny the spirits had given me long before you were part of the equation. You can’t take all the credit there.”

River could feel herself shrink, her hands small like a child’s now struggled to cover her face. Her skin was too big for her, the clothes too loose. 

On the other side of her, a new pair of arms pulled her into their lap and held her tightly. “My little Song…” they said. “You’ve always pushed yourself further than necessary.”

“I had to, mum.” River’s voice came weak but from herself this time. It was high-pitched like a toddler. “You and dad would have lost the hounds if I didn’t.”

“And we’re grateful for that, but the world would not have ended. We would have made do with what we had.”

_ I couldn’t protect you either.  _ Her voice was fragmented again like broken glass.

Suddenly her mother’s arms disappeared, as did the comforting hand from Donna, and she fell back with a thud. The angry woman from before was here again, but this time just standing silently; brooding. 

River got to her feet, though her head only came up to the stranger’s waist. She pulled on the air nomad clothes and peered up. “Why are you so angry?”

Behind her, two voices answered, “Because she is lost.”

River turned once more to find a man and a woman standing there. The woman was in a green robe with white and red face paint. The man looked to be in rags covered in dust. 

“Dear little Melody, come now, we can’t reach our sister, she is not ready for us.” The green-clad woman knelt before her and reached out a hand and waited.

River didn’t understand. Why couldn’t she talk to that woman? She needed help. River could give it to her. 

“I can help her!” She insisted. “I can help her, all I need to do is make her listen.”

“Don’t do it little Melody.” The man said. His voice was grave, but there was a softness in his voice that River remembered from her father.

“If we get their attention before they are ready, they can’t understand us no matter how true our words are. She still needs time.” He too reached out and offered her his hand. River took it without hesitation. It felt right to let him lead her. 

“But don’t worry, I’ll wait with you until she’s ready.”

River gasped and jerked up. All around her was stone and for a moment she thought she was still beneath Ba Sing Se.

“RIVER!” a body slammed into hers and River didn’t manage to suppress the scream tearing out of the throat.

“Bill,” Heather sounded amused and nervous at the same time. “We just got her back, don’t break her again!” 

River wanted to laugh and hug Bill, who was still clinging to her, but she couldn’t really move her left arm. It hurt too much. And then there were her surroundings.

“Where are we?” Heather and Bill changed a look.

“We left Ba Sing Se a few days ago. To, you know, safety.” Bill muttered, still not releasing her. 

“So…” 

Smoke. River smelled smoke and her head snapped around. Something inside of her expected a burning building, but all she saw was a small fire, with a pot over it.

“We found a hiding place. Or Cal found it.” Heater muttered.

“WHERE are we?” River asked more insistently. She didn’t like it here. Something just felt off with this place. Something bad had happened here.

“The eastern air temple, we think.”

River stared at Bill and Heather. She looked back and forth between them for a long moment. “You’re kidding, right?”

“Nope. Cool isn’t it?” Bill finally pulled away to look at River only to find the avatar glaring harshly. 

“The next thing you say better be that you found Anita or I swear to gods I will leave here right now without either of you.”

The other two exchanged glances before Heather sighed. “No. We didn’t find her. But we did get your sorry ass to a healer, so I think the next thing out of  _ your _ mouth should be ‘thank you’.” 

River growled and threw the blankets off her legs, only to stop at the sight. A strange, pink scar ran down to her toes. She realized the line went up as well and ended by her hand. 

“Do you remember what happened?” Bill asked quietly.

“This looks like… lightning” River whispered. 

“Yeah, it was. Full blast right at you from the princess.”

River continues to stare at the new markings, not sure what to say. The pink lines on her skin stung in the cool air of the temple, but that hardly seemed to matter. “Did you get her? Did you get Missy?”

Her friends shook their heads. “She thinks we’re all dead. Heather collapsed the tunnel on us so we could escape and then we brought you to the healers. That was all two weeks ago.” 

River could feel her vision start to blur against her will. She lay back against her makeshift bed and tried to focus on the faces above her. Behind Bill and Heather, a man in torn, dusty robes stood silently. 

The others didn’t notice and River was too far back into sleep to tell them.

-x-

“So…what are we going to do now?” John looked up to see Anita hugging her knees. She was still shaking from the conversation they had had when they had left Ba Sing Se. They had left the city far behind them and still, none of them felt safe.

“We need to find River.” Jack mumbled and Anita perked up a bit. “I’d like to see her again.” She mumbled.

“What about your tribe, Anita?” Idris asked softly and this time Anita's eyes grew wide with horror.

“They sent a letter to my tribe!”

John reached out and put a hand on Anita’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. I got that one. They don’t know.” Anita looked like she wanted to punch him for a moment, but then released her face and she nodded.

“Thank you.” 

“Do you think your tribe could help us?” Jack asked softly and all of them turned to him. Jack and Ianto hadn’t talked much since they left Ba Sing Se and John thought it had to do with the trauma they had gone through, but this?

“Maybe,” Anita mumbled. “If you can get to Wilf and explain what happened…” Anita frowned. “Do you have paper?” She asked and without a word she turned away from them, starting to write a letter.

“Does that mean we go to the north pole?” Ianto asked.

“No.” His aunt said and John looked up with surprise. “ _You_ are going.” Her voice was hard, more like the generals than the woman she truly was.

“My nephew, Anita, and I will find the Avatar. You three will go to the North Pole.”

“Idris!” Iroh protested and John smiled. He really liked the man. 

“Please my love,” His aunt said softly and John watched all the fights leave the cook. “Go and do this for me, we need this help. Especially if the earth kingdom has already fallen.”

“We have a lot of friends,” Ianto said, gripping Jack’s hand tighter. “We can contact them on the way.

“This will help you get into the city,” Anita announced from behind them. She held out a letter to Jack. “I wrote something inside that only Wilf will understand and that will prove that you mean it.” She smiled at Jack. 

“In the morning…”

“No.” His aunt said again. “We need to split right now.” John noticed the faraway look in his aunt's eyes. 

“Something is happening with the spirits and we need to act now, we don’t have time until tomorrow.” 

None of them said a word. All of them knew that Idris was sensitive to the spirits in one way or another. They all trusted her.

So they broke up their camp. Jack handed them bags filled with all things necessary and loaded the rest into the wagon.

“Wait,” Anita said and pulled something from beneath her clothing. It was a necklace with a koi charm much like the one River wore. Only the koi was white. John wondered if it was an accident.

“Show this to the people of my tribe and tell them Anita the descendant of Avatar Sarah Jane gave it to you, so the moon's daughter would watch over you and guide you safely like she guided our tribe.”

Jack just blinked, but Ianto and the cook nodded.

“We will.”

John turned around with red ears when the cook and his aunt said their goodbyes. It wasn’t overly effective and at the same time, it was too much. The way the cook was holding his aunt's hands. How his grip turned his knuckles white and how desperate his voice sounded even from afar. John wondered if he would find something like this too.

“Don’t worry.” He heard his aunt say. “We will see each other again.” 

John turned just in time to see the cook gently take his aunt's face in his hands and place a kiss on her forehead.

“A promise,” Iroh whispered. “A promise for more once the world is safe!” 


	24. Little Lost Melody

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I... “ River sighed, her shoulders drooping. “I had that dream again.”
> 
> “With Melody?”
> 
> “Yes,” River whispered and the old Avatar said nothing. “She never talks about her parents when we see each other, but they’re in these dreams. Amy and Rory. They die every single time.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> content warning: this chapter is more serious and sad, with more graphic descriptions around Melody's death.

**Chapter Twenty Four: Little Lost Melody**

The man was young for a father, but the kind glow around him said he didn’t think of it. The little girl giggling beside him didn’t seem to notice either. The two were dressed in yellow robes—traditional air nomad wear, River recognized. 

The man knelt down close to his daughter and produced something from his pocket. It was a wooden carved necklace identical to the one he was wearing.   
_It’s like yours, Daddy!_ Said the girl who eagerly grabbed for it and put it on. 

The smile of the man was something River had never seen before; so warm and full of pride and love. Her father had certainly never smiled like that. Not even her biological father when she’d found him in the Southern Water Tribe. Something in her ached for such a smile. 

The man turned his gaze to River, still smiling.

_ Rory!  _ A woman’s voice shouted and a newcomer came into the scene before her. She was tall and wearing earth kingdom clothes. Her hair, bright red, came down to her hip and flew out behind her as she ran to the others. 

_ Mummy, look it! It’s like Daddy’s,  _ said the girl, showing the woman the new pendant. 

_ Melody, it’s wonderful, _ said the woman, but her expression was nowhere near the warmth of Rory’s. The adults looked at each other for a moment before the woman said,  _ They’re here. _

_ Are you sure, Amy?  _ Rory asked.

Before any answer was said, River felt the heat of fire surge up behind her and saw it engulf the family. She wanted to cry out, to bend something,  _ anything,  _ to protect them but nothing came from her hands but fire. Fire, fire, and more fire burning the family and burning the eastern air temple. 

Melody screamed.

River sat bolt upright in a cold sweat, her heart racing from the nightmare and her body aching from the movement. She looked to her left where Bill and Heather shared a sleeping sack. They didn’t seem at all bothered, still, sound asleep.

A chilly breeze greeted River as she slipped out from her blankets and threw on another layer for warmth. 

“You shouldn’t be moving,” said the old Avatar. “You could aggravate your wounds. If your muscles seize up, you’ll be laying there like last time until someone finds you. You should sit down.”

“And you shouldn’t have gotten in my way with a distraction and almost killed me, but here we are,” River hissed, standing with a wince.

The ground was cold, but something about the stone floors of the eastern air temple was refreshing, grounding even. River limped away from their campsite down the halls of the abandoned building. She found herself on a balcony overlooking the natural stone spires of the land. 

The air nomads were dead and had been for a long time now—no trace left after what Sozin did except for their secret descendants trapped in the heart of the Fire Nation. This temple didn’t have anything better to offer. Everything that wasn’t overgrown with plants still held the evidence of scorch marks and soot.

This was where Melody had lived all those years ago, River knew. Of course, no one was here now; not even the animals dared come this far into this ashland. 

But what was she even doing here? Bill and Heather decided this was the best place to hide after Ba Sing Se, but what did they know. There were no healers here, no information about air benders, and certainly nothing to help them find Anita. Was she just supposed to have some sort of Avatar vision and magically know what to do? Did they think she could just absorb airbending skills from being here?

River huffed, blowing a stray curl away from her face. It was stupid. Hopeless really. If she’d been conscious, she wouldn’t have agreed to come here. Now they were squatting in a charred-up building just… waiting. 

They’d been waiting for two weeks in fact.

She sighed. Bill would call her a sore Avatar if River told her any of this. Probably give some speech about giving airbending a try because  _ what was there to lose?  _ Well, what  _ was _ there to lose, River pondered. Dignity, maybe. Patience? Time.

Sozin’s Comet was two months away at best and River had yet to produce a puff of air (except for the avatar state but that hardly counted.) 

Knowing she wasn’t going back to sleep, River sat cross-legged and closed her eyes. That dream was something else, something that felt uncomfortably real. She was no stranger to Avatar Melody at this point. After so many encounters with her past life, River considered Melody a good friend. But she hadn’t seen the little airbender in a while now and wondered why Melody didn’t show herself now.

In the morning, Bill and Heather found River still stiffly meditating on that balcony. They looked at each other and shrugged.

“Er, River?” Bill called.

River jumped slightly but didn’t turn around. “Great. The health police are here.”

“Well, someone woke up on the wrong side of the temple floor,” Bill retorted. She came over to River and sat next to her. “I’m not here to tell you to lie down.”

“And why is that?”

“Because you’re stubborn as hell and it would take the word of the spirits for you to listen to me.”

“She doesn’t listen to the spirits either, believe me.” said the old Avatar, standing behind Bill.

River glared at them both and exhaled sharply through her nose. “Well, I hope you’re not waiting for guilt to eat at me because you’ll find the only thing I regret right now is not leaving to find Anita.”

“What were you meditating about,” Heather asked before Bill could come up with another snarky comment.

“I... “ River sighed, her shoulders drooping. “I had that dream again.”

“With Melody?”

“Yes,” River whispered and the old Avatar said nothing. “She never talks about her parents when we see each other, but they’re in these dreams. Amy and Rory. They die every single time.”

A beat of silence, then Bill asked, “How?”

“Fire.” River scrubbed a hand over her face. “They were one of the last holdouts of Air Nomads, so the Fire Nation…yeah.”

It was the Old Avatar who spoke next. “Melody did not perish in the fire. She survived that attack.”

River’s eyes widened. “What? She lived?”

Bill and Heather looked at each other. “Um… River?”

“Shut up, he’s telling me something,” River hissed, but the Old Avatar didn’t say anything more. “Fat load of good you are.”

“River, who are you talking to?”

River sighed. “One of the Avatars has been following me for a few weeks now. He doesn’t come and go as the others do. I don’t know which one he is and I never learned that stupid pneumonic Clara tried to teach me. And he has a nasty habit of telling me what to do!” She directed that last part at the old Avatar who looked at her blankly as ever.

Bill glanced behind her and then back at River. “Why didn’t you say anything about this?”

“I don’t know,” she sighed. “Sometimes this Avatar stuff is too weird for me to cope with.”

“Well,” Heather asked, “What was he saying just now? Who lived?”

“Melody. He said that Melody didn’t die in the attack from the Fire Nation. But…” River thought hard. “Most of the time I meet Melody, Jaguar brings me here to the Eastern Air Temple. She must be tethered to this place somehow. Maybe her body is still here?”

“But you just said she escaped.”

River shook her head. “She didn’t die in the attack but that doesn’t mean she escaped. Her story doesn’t go much further.”

“See,” said the Old Avatar. “Was that so hard to deduce?”

River practically growled, “You know your half-arsed clues are bad enough without the afterword.”

Bill and Heather looked at the space River was yelling at and shrugged to themselves.

River pinched her nose and continued. “Besides, I don’t understand what this has to do with anything. It’s not going to help me learn airbending and it's certainly not going to help me find Anita.”

The Avatar was silent once more. He turned and started walking away.

“Hey, I’m not done with you.” River tried to stand up and her body wasn’t quite strong enough. Bill and Heather helped her to her feet and she pointed. “Follow him. I’ve still got a bone to pick with him.”

Bill and Heather did as told and helped River walk after the spirit. He was walking slow enough for them to keep up, so River knew he wanted her to follow. 

All the while she was nagging at him with, “If you weren’t so damn cryptic we could do what we need to do and get out of here,” and, “Not everything has to be some stupid life lesson I have to figure out the convoluted meaning of. Why couldn’t you have been Kyoshi or  _ anyone _ more helpful?”

The Avatar remained silent and kept walking. 

_ Melody, where are you?  _ River hadn’t so much as dreamt of the girl since Ba Sing Se. It was so much more lonely at night now without her. 

They descended deep into the temple after the spirit. The walls around them looked more and more disfigured with soot and ash. The further they went, the quieter River became.

River could feel something in her mind gathering like storm clouds. The blackened walls seemed to fall away, as did Bill and Heather. The air grew thicker and she could feel her lungs strain against it. 

The spirit ahead of her walked unaffected, stepping calculatedly forwards. River stumbled after, unable to keep a straight line. She tripped into the walls which cracked and crumbled with the impact. 

She looked down when the pain became too much to ignore. There was a horrid aching just below her ribs. She saw little arms wrapped tightly around her torso. The air nomad robes that hung from her body were torn and charred and stained with dried blood. The flesh on her legs smelled rotten and the remains of skin oozed with something dark and purple ish. 

One of her hands braced against the wall, her tiny palm obscuring the face on one of the murals. 

Finally, the spirit led her to a room. There wasn’t much there since the far wall had caved in. Outside, she could see land completely scarred from the battle. The piles of bodies smelled bitter and revolting. Spidermice and other scavenging animals were already searching the grounds for any leftovers. 

The only salvageable thing in the small room was a bed-sized for a child to sleep in. It called to her as did the old Avatar, who had stopped walking. 

_ “The time to sleep is now, Melody,” he whispered. “You can rest.” _

“What is this place,” Bill asked.

Rive blinked, finding herself in her own body again. “A bedroom.” Her eyes were wet and her voice dry.

The Avatar was gone.

River let go of Bill and Heather’s shoulders, limping towards the bed. Rubble of what used to be the far wall showed the forest surrounding the temple and brought the scent of leaves on the breeze.

On the bed lay a blanket wrapped tightly around something small. River’s hands shook as she pulled back the fabric. 

And there she was. Melody. Where she had been for decades, forgotten. Where she would  _ always  _ be— tethered forever to this place that was nothing more than a tomb.

“ _ It’s not so bad,”  _ came the young voice behind River.  _ “It’s not as bad as a lot of people think it is. Dying is the bad part, but after that, it doesn’t hurt. I don’t hurt anymore.” _

River had collapsed onto her knees in front of the child’s bones. The thud of her landing shook the fragile room and a bleached white, small cracked skull rolled off the back in front of River. Heat rushed to her eyes and she couldn’t stop the tears from falling. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: this is actually the first chapter we started working on before we decided to write in a chronological fasion.


End file.
